You have full access to this open access article. Recent studies suggest that, compared to healthy individuals, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease pwCOPD present a reduced capacity to perform cognitive-motor dual-task CMDT. However, these studies were focused on short-duration CMDT offering limited insight to prolonged CMDT inducing fatigue, which can be encountered in daily life. The present study aimed to explore the effect of adding a cognitive task during repeated muscle contractions on muscle endurance, neuromuscular fatigability, and cognitive control in pwCOPD compared to healthy participants.
Thirteen pwCOPD and thirteen age- and sex-matched healthy participants performed submaximal isometric contractions of the knee extensors until exhaustion in two experimental sessions: 1 without cognitive task and 2 with a concurrent working memory task i. Neuromuscular fatigability as well as central and peripheral components measured by peripheral magnetic stimulation , cognitive performance, and perceived muscle fatigue were assessed throughout the fatiguing tasks. These findings provide novel insights into how and why fatigue develops in COPD in dual-task context, offering a rationale for including such tasks in rehabilitation programs.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow limitation associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs Celli et al. In addition to its impact on lung function, COPD can also lead to systemic consequences, including neuromuscular impairments Maltais et al. Some direct or indirect neuromuscular adaptations resulting from the disease have been identified e.
Additionally, neuromuscular impairments result reduced muscle endurance, corresponding to the ability of a muscle or a muscle group to sustain or perform a repeated work and resist to fatigue Evans et al.
Many daily activities involve the simultaneous accomplishment of cognitive and motor tasks, known as cognitive-motor dual-task situations CMDT such as talking while walking or identifying the front door key on a key ring while climbing the stairs. Although a few studies have focused on the concept of dual tasks in pwCOPD for review, see Rassam et al.
