Cognitive status, fast walking speed and walking speed reserve—the Gait and Alzheimer Interactions Tracking (GAIT) study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to (1) determine if older people at their fast walking speed (FWS) are able to reach the speed required at pedestrian crossings (>1.2 m/s) and (2) determine the role of cognitive impairment on the ability to alter speed and walk quickly. Participants were recruited from the Angers Memory Clinic, France. Gait speed was assessed at preferred and FWS using a GAITRite walkway. Walking speed reserve (WSR) was calculated as the difference between FWS and preferred speeds. Participants were classified into cognitive stages (cognitively healthy, mild cognitive impairment, mild and moderate dementia) based on neuropsychological evaluations. The proportion of participants with a FWS of <1.2 m/s was reported. The association between cognitive stage and preferred, fast and walking speed reserve was assessed using multivariable regression, adjusting for covariates. The mean age of the sample (n = 681) was 73.3 (SD 5.8) years. At preferred speed 73.7%, and at FWS 12.8%, of participants had speeds less than 1.2 m/s. Poorer cognitive stage was associated with slower preferred speed (β −0.08, 95% CI −0.10, −0.06), FWS (β −0.13, 95% CI −0.16, −0.10) and also with smaller WSR (m/s) (β −0.05, 95% CI −0.07, −0.03), but not WSR (%) (β −1.73, 95% CI −4.38, 0.93). In older people, worse stages of cognitive impairment were associated with poorer ability to increase speed and walk quickly. Such limitations may result in reduced ability to access the community.

Effect of 9 weeks continuous vs. interval aerobic training on plasma BDNF levels, aerobic fitness, cognitive capacity and quality of life among seniors with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized controlled trial

“…The possible reasons explaining the observed improvement would be that an optimal intensity for moderate to maximal aerobic fitness benefits in seniors (i.e., between 70 and 86% of HR max ), regardless of aerobic training modality, would be needed [27,86]. It is also known that AD is likely to reduce the functional abilities, with reduced walking speed which may, in turn, lead to progressive loss of functional autonomy and dependency [37,87]. The lengthening of distance walked in 6MWT measured in participants of the CAT and IAT was of similar extend to which reported by Venturelli et al and in other studies conducted in patients with AD [88][89][90].…”

Hypertension-induced synapse loss and impairment in synaptic plasticity in the mouse hippocampus mimics the aging phenotype: implications for the pathogenesis of vascular cognitive impairment

“…Data are expressed as mean ± SEM and were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test, using Prism 5.0 for Windows (Graphpad Software, La Jolla, CA). A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant (Bennis et al 2017;Callisaya et al 2017;Grimmig et al 2017;Hancock et al 2017;Kane et al 2017;Kim et al 2017;Konopka et al 2017;Liu et al 2017;Meschiari et al 2017;Perrott et al 2017;Sierra and Kohanski 2017;Tenk et al 2017;Urfer et al 2017a, b).…”

Hypertension impairs neurovascular coupling and promotes microvascular injury: role in exacerbation of Alzheimer’s disease

“…Hypertension in the elderly substantially increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood (Forette et al 1998;Launer et al 2000;Israeli-Korn et al 2010;Guo et al 2001;Marr and Hafez 2014;Petrovitch et al 2000;van Dijk et al 2004;Joas et al 2012). In this review (published as part of the BTranslational Geroscience^initiative of the journal (Callisaya et al 2017;Kane et al 2017;Kim et al 2017;Liu et al 2017;Meschiari et al 2017;Perrott et al 2017;Shobin et al 2017;Ashpole et al 2017;Bennis et al 2017;Deepa et al 2017;Grimmig et al 2017;Hancock et al 2017;Konopka et al 2017;Podlutsky et al 2017;Sierra and Kohanski 2017;Tenk et al 2017;Ungvari et al 2017a;Urfer et al 2017a, b)), the effects of hypertension on structural and functional integrity of the cerebral microcirculation are considered, with a primary focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in microvascular damage (capillary rarefaction, BBB disruption), neurovascular uncoupling, and the genesis of cerebral microhemorrhages and their potential role in exacerbation of cognitive decline associated with AD.…”