Subjective Memory Impairment and Gait Variability in Cognitively Healthy Individuals: Results from a Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Beauchet, Olivier^{a; b; c; *} | Launay, Cyrille P.^d | Chabot, Julia^a | Levinoff, Elise J.^a | Allali, Gilles^{e; f}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | [b] Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | [c] Centre of Excellence on Aging and Chronic Diseases of McGill integrated University Health Network, Quebec, Canada | [d] Service of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland | [e] Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland | [f] Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Olivier Beauchet, MD, PhD; Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, 3755 chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada. Tel.: +1 514 340 8222/Ext. 4765; Fax: +1 514 340 7547; E-mail: olivier.beauchet@mcgill.ca.

Abstract: Background: Increased stride time variability has been associated with memory impairment in mild cognitive impairment. Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is considered the earliest clinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The association between increased stride time variability and SMI has not been reported. Objective: This study aims to examine the association of stride time variability while performing single and dual tasking with SMI in cognitively healthy individuals (CHI). Methods: A total of 126 CHI (15 without SMI, 69 with SMI expressed by participants, 10 with SMI expressed by participant’s relative, and 32 with SMI expressed by both participants and their relatives) were included in this cross-sectional study. The coefficient of variation (CoV) of stride time and walking speed were recorded under usual condition and while counting backwards. Age, gender, body mass index, number of drugs taken daily, use of psychoactive drugs, fear of falling, history of previous falls, and walking speed were used as covariates. Results: The multiple linear regression models showed that greater CoV of stride time while counting backwards, but not while single tasking, was associated with a participant’s relative SMI (p = 0.038). Conclusion: This study found a specific association between SMI expressed by a participant’s relative and a greater CoV of stride time (i.e., worse performance) while dual tasking, suggesting that the association between gait variability and memory may be present in the earliest stages of memory impairment. Thus, gait variability under dual-task in individuals with SMI expressed by their relatives can be a potential biomarker of AD.

Keywords: Dementia, dual tasking, gait variability, motor control, subjective memory impairment

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160604

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 965-971, 2017