Objective: (i) To examine the association of gait domains (single and dual task (DT) walk) with cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD); (ii) to test the ability of cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains in predicting the variance of gait domains.

Background: Although the literature is consistent in demonstrating that gait is associated to cognition in people with PD [1], existing studies are limited by not taking into account the different domains of these aspects. Additionally, only a few studies examined the association between gait and neuropsychiatric domains.

Method: Eighty-seven patients with PD were assessed for gait (single and DT walk), cognition and neuropsychiatric aspects. A gait model, with 16 spatial-temporal gait characteristics, was structured in five domains (pace, variability, rhythm, asymmetry and postural control).A cognitive and neuropsychiatric model, which included 10 assessments, was structured in seven domains (global cognition, memory, executive function, attention, working memory, visuospatial ability and neuropsychiatric). Partial correlations tests were applied to examine the associations. Linear regressions models were applied to assess the ability of cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains to predict the variance of gait domains. The analysis were controlled by age, gender and formal education.

Results: Overall, worse gait was associated to worse cognition. For single walk, both pace and gait variability were associated to global cognition, memory, attention and working memory. Formal education and global cognition predicted 26% of the variance in pace; memory predicted13% of gait variability. For DT walk, pace was associated to attention, memory and global cognition; gait variability was associated to memory. Formal education, gender, age, global cognition and attention predicted 42% of the variance in pace; formal education and memory predicted 17% of gait variability.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that neuropsychiatric domain is not associated to gait in patients with PD. Pace and gait variability had different predictors, which suggest that these domains might be mediated by different cognitive substrates. The dual task led to more specific associations to gait variability and stronger predictive model for pace.

References: [1] Morris R, Lord S, Bunce J, Burn D, Rochester L. Gait and cognition: Mapping the global and discrete relationships in ageing and neurodegenerative disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016; 64:326–345.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-of-gait-domains-with-cognitive-and-neuropsychiatric-domains-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-a-brazilian-exploratory-study/