Problems with memory and cognition have long been identified as a predictor of dementia, but now researchers have identified a crucial physical indicator that warrants equal attention—gait speed, or how fast a person walks.
Manuel Montero-Odasso at Western University, Richard Camicioli at the University of Alberta and their collaborators found that when someone has a decline in gait speed combined with a decline in cognition, that person—known as a dual decliner—has about a 50 per cent risk of progression to dementia.
While problems with memory may be apparent to an individual and those around them, it is much more difficult to identify a physical decline.
“Nobody carries a stopwatch to see how quickly they’re running or walking,” said Camicioli, a professor of medicine and member of the U of A’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.
Continue reading at University of Alberta.
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