Dual Tasks as an Indicator of the Characteristics of Cognitive Deficit in Patients after Craniocerebral Trauma

Objectives. To study the characteristics of impairments to brain activity in patients after craniocerebral trauma (CCT) on performing double tasks as compared with normal subjects. Materials and methods. Clinical electroencephalographic (EEG) and stabilographic investigations were run in nine patients (mean age 25.0 ± 1.2 years) within three months of moderate CCT. The control group consisted of 18 healthy subjects (mean age 26.6 ± 0.07 years). All subjects performed two motor and two cognitive tasks separately and simultaneously, i.e., dual tasks. Results. Patients with CCT had cognitive deficit with retention of posture control. EEG data showed that performance of the cognitive components of dual tasks was accompanied by decreases in the coherence of the slow rhythms in the left hemisphere and frontal areas. Healthy subjects showed increases in coherence in the slow EEG rhythms in these parts of the brain. Conclusions. Dual tasks provided an informative method for evaluating the predominance of cognitive deficit after moderate CCT and use of this approach as a rehabilitation measure promoted clinical improvements.