Objective: Gait characteristics relationships to cognitive status were estimated by measuring gait performance and tested cognitive status and cognitive functions in three groups of healthy elderly subjects.

Background: The gait of the healthy elderly subjects is associated with greater variability and changes in certain characteristics compared with the gait of younger persons. While aging, walking ability gradually decreases due to various factors including impaired balance, reduced muscle strength in the lower limbs, impaired vision and proprioception, and deterioration in general health and appearance of medical conditions.

Method: We measured gait performance in 72 subjects divided into three age groups (51-65, 66-75 and >76 years old). All participants have done the following cognitive tests: Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R), Trail Making Test – part A (TMT-A), Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Hooper Visual Organization Test. All subjects walk while dual tasking was required and performed, consisting of four different tasks – basic simple walk, walking while performing the additional motor task, performing the additional mental and walking while combined motor and mental tasks. We measured gait cycle, gait velocity, stride length, and swing and double support time.

Results: We found no differences while comparing the 51-65 group and the 66-75 group, while in all cases there was a statistically significant difference between the >76 group and the 66-75 and 51-65 groups (p<0.001). Findings were correlated to gait dual task performance. With cognitive testing, we obtained significantly different results on the ACE-R, TMT, RAVLT and Hooper test in people over 76 years old compared to the other two groups, 51-65 and 66-75 years.

Conclusion: Cognitive tests used here appeared as adequate for examining cognitive functions in different age groups of healthy subjects. Similar results were shown using dual task walk to elucidate and compare gait characteristics as well. Employing a dual task paradigm during gait in healthy elderly subjects may help identify cognitive impairment rather early and helps preventing possible negative consequences of cognitive decline on gait characteristics.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gait-characteristics-and-cognitive-status-correlation-during-dual-task-walking-in-elderly-subjects-of-different-age/