Dual task interference in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Performing two tasks simultaneously (dual task performance) is a frequent activity in human life. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly have more difficulty in performing dual tasks than healthy people. To date, research on the mechanisms of dual task interference in PD remains sparse. A recent study by Wu and Hallett in 2008 investigated the central neural correlates of dual task interference in PD, and demonstrated that dual task interference in PD is due to multiple reasons. First, the limitation of capacity of attentional resources is exceeded; second, PD patients perform tasks less automatically compared with normal subjects; and third, the central executive may be defective. However, our knowledge of this phenomenon is still far from complete and needs further investigation. © TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2009.