Interference of two attentional tasks with balance performance

Most daily activities require cognitive processing in addition to balance demands they exert on the nervous system. The purpose of the present study was to compare the interference of selective attention and attention-shifting tasks in balance among the youth. In this cross-sectional study، thirty male students (mean age 22. 47 ± 2. 27 years) were recruited from available research pools. Subjects were asked to perform single-foot standing task، which was measure by Biodex System، alone or coincidentally with either selective attention or attention shifting tasks. Selective attention and attention shifting were respectively evaluated via a “stroop test” and the Neurological Attention Shifting test. ANOVA with repeated measures was used for the statistical analysis of the data. Findings showed that both attentional tasks decreased balance performance on both frontal and sagittal plans and also overally (P < 0. 05). Similarly، attentional task scores were reduced by the balance task (P < 0. 05). The two attentional tasks interfere differently with balance task performance (P < 0. 05). Because same brain structures mediate attention shifting and selective attention processes and because these processes are interrelated، they may interfere with balance they combined with each other.