Comparison of Gait Parameters for Predicting Cognitive Decline: The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging

Abstract

Objective To investigate and compare the association with, and prediction of, specific gait parameters for cognition in a population-based sample. Background Previous studies reported that slower gait speed might predict cognitive impairment and dementing illnesses, supporting the role of gait speed as a possible subclinical marker of cognitive impairment. However, the predictive value of other gait parameters for cognitive decline is unclear. Methods The analysis included 3,426 cognitively normal participants enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. At baseline and every 15 months (mean follow-up = 1.93 years), participants had a study coordinator evaluation, neurological examination, and a neuropsychological assessment using nine tests that covered four domains. Gait parameters were assessed with the GAITRite® instrument. General linear mixed effects models were used to compute the annualized rate of change in cognitive domain z-scores, controlling for age, sex, education, depression, comorbidities, body mass index, APOE ε4 allele, and visit number, and excluding individuals with a history of stroke, alcoholism, Parkinson’s disease, subdural hematoma, and normal pressure hydrocephalus. Results Spatial (stride length), temporal (ambulatory time, gait speed, step count, cadence, double support time), and spatiotemporal (cadence) gait parameters, and greater intraindividual variability in stride length, swing time, and stance time were associated with a significant decline in global cognition and in specific domains including memory, executive function, visuospatial, and language. Conclusions Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal measures of gait and greater variability of gait parameters were associated with and predictive of both global- and domain-specific cognitive decline.

Slow gait speed as a predictor of 1‐year cognitive decline in a veterans' retirement community in southern Taiwan

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Dor Pélvica Crônica Em Mulheres E Análise Da Marcha

“…Este padrão alterado de marcha pode contribuir para redução das atividades funcionais diárias do indivíduo 15 , além de predizer possíveis sintomas depressivos e comprometimentos cognitivos [19][20][21] .…”