Summary: Walking patterns improve when people embarked on cognitive tasks at the same time, suggesting people are more stable while walking and performing tasks than when they solely focus on walking.

Source: University of Rochester.

New research turns the old idiom about not being able to walk and chew gum on its head. Scientists with the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester have shown that the healthy brain is able to multitask while walking without sacrificing how either activity is accomplished.

Our eyes are continuously bombarded by an enormous amount of visual information – millions of shapes, colors, and ever-changing motion all around us.

For the brain, this is no easy feat.

On the one hand, the visual world alters continuously because of changes in light, viewpoint, and other factors. On the other, our visual input constantly changes due to blinking and the fact that our eyes, head, and body are frequently in motion.

The cerebellum may coordinate thoughts much like it coordinates fluid movements.