Assessing the impact of dual-task reactive step practice in people with Parkinson's disease: A feasibility study.

Abstract Reactive stepping is impaired in people with Parkinson's Disease (PD) but can be improved with training. However, it is unclear if reactive steps can be improved when performing a concurrent cognitive task, a common and fall-relevant circumstance. We assessed the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of dual-task reactive step training. Specifically, we measured whether stepping and cognitive reaction time are improved after one day of dual-task reactive step practice and if improvements are retained 24 h later. Sixteen people with PD and 13 age-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent repeated from-stance support surface perturbations that elicited a reactive step while performing an auditory Stroop task. Participants returned the following day to reassess dual-task reactive stepping performance. Cognitive, neuromuscular, and stepping outcomes were calculated. Increased step lengths were observed for both groups after practice (p