NDLI: Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke

Content Provider	PubMed Central
Author	Kal, E. C. Kamp, J. Van Der Houdijk, H. Groet, E. Bennekom, C. A. M. Van Scherder, E. J. A.
Editor	Hamed, Suliann Ben
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients’ automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p’s ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (β = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (β = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients’ attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients’ strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor control after stroke.
Related Links	http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136917
Starting Page	136917
File Format	PDF
ISSN	19326203
e-ISSN	19326203
Journal	PLoS ONE
Issue Number	8
Volume Number	10
Language	English
Publisher	Public Library of Science
Publisher Date	2015-08-01
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	Public Library of Science
Subject Keyword	Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all) Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all) Medicine(all) Research in Higher Education
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Multidisciplinary

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

The Focus of Attention in Visual Working Memory: Protection of Focused Representations and Its Individual Variation

Effects of Comprehensive Stroke Care Capabilities on In-Hospital Mortality of Patients with Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke: J-ASPECT Study

Long-Stay Psychiatric Patients: A Prospective Study Revealing Persistent Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorder

Distinct Neural Activity Associated with Focused-Attention Meditation and Loving-Kindness Meditation

Why Patients Delay Their First Contact with Health Services After Stroke? A Qualitative Focus Group-Based Study

Aberrant Interference of Auditory Negative Words on Attention in Patients with Schizophrenia

Stay Tuned: What Is Special About Not Shifting Attention?

Candidate Gene-Based Association Study of Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorders in Long-Stay Psychiatric Patients: A Prospective Study

Fixation Strategy Influences the Ability to Focus Attention on Two Spatially Separate Objects

Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke

Similar Documents

The Focus of Attention in Visual Working Memory: Protection of Focused Representations and Its Individual Variation

Effects of Comprehensive Stroke Care Capabilities on In-Hospital Mortality of Patients with Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke: J-ASPECT Study

Long-Stay Psychiatric Patients: A Prospective Study Revealing Persistent Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorder

Distinct Neural Activity Associated with Focused-Attention Meditation and Loving-Kindness Meditation

Why Patients Delay Their First Contact with Health Services After Stroke? A Qualitative Focus Group-Based Study

Aberrant Interference of Auditory Negative Words on Attention in Patients with Schizophrenia

Stay Tuned: What Is Special About Not Shifting Attention?

Candidate Gene-Based Association Study of Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorders in Long-Stay Psychiatric Patients: A Prospective Study

Fixation Strategy Influences the Ability to Focus Attention on Two Spatially Separate Objects

Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke