Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association

Volume 10, Issue 3 , Pages 328-335, May 2014

• Vincentius J.A. Verlinden, Jos N. van der Geest, Albert Hofman, M. Arfan Ikram

Background

With brain aging, cognition and gait deteriorate in several domains. However, the interrelationship between cognitive and gait domains remains unclear. We investigated the independent associations between cognitive and gait domains in a community-dwelling population.

Methods

In the Rotterdam Study, 1232 participants underwent cognitive and gait assessment. Cognitive assessment included memory, information processing speed, fine motor speed, and executive function. Gait was summarized into seven independent domains: Rhythm, Variability, Phases, Pace, Tandem, Turning, and Base of Support. With multivariate linear regression, independent associations between cognitive and gait domains were investigated.

Results

Information processing speed associated with Rhythm, fine motor speed with Tandem, and executive function with Pace. The effect sizes corresponded to a 5- to 10-year deterioration in gait.

Conclusions

Cognition and gait show a distinct pattern of association. These data accentuate the close, but complicated, relation between cognition and gait, and they may aid in unraveling the broader spectrum of the effects of brain aging.

The Rotterdam Study is sponsored by the Erasmus Medical Center and Erasmus University Rotterdam; the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW); the Research Institute for Diseases in the Elderly (RIDE); the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science; the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sports; the European Commission (DG XII); and the Municipality of Rotterdam. J. N. van der Geest was supported by the Prinses Beatrix Fonds. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.