Highlights
- •Cognition and gait decline with normal and pathological aging.
- •Cognition and gait have shared anatomic substrates and brain control processes.
- •Cognitive impairment can predict incident gait impairment.
- •Changes in gait can predict incident cognitive impairment.
- •Interventions may be able to mitigate gait and cognitive decline in aging.
Abstract
Cognitive difficulties and gait abnormalities both increase with age. We review normal
and pathologic changes in both gait and cognition in older adults. Gait performance
in older individuals is linked to specific cognitive changes, in particular in executive
function. Structural and functional assays highlight the shared anatomic control of
cognitive and gait function, mostly in the prefrontal cortices. Cognitive impairment
can be used to predict incident gait difficulties. Changes in gait, especially decreased
gait velocity, may be a harbinger of impending cognitive decline. The combination
of slow gait and cognitive complaints (the Motoric Cognitive Risk syndrome) is a powerful
new clinical tool to identify those at high risk of developing dementia and therefore
may be used to target interventions. Evidence is limited, but cognitive training and
targeted physical activity may be useful to mitigate or prevent gait and cognitive
decline with age.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 10, 2016
Accepted:
May 9,
2016
Received in revised form:
May 3,
2016
Received:
March 23,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
