The sign that indicates dementia and occurs while walking

Dementia can disrupt memory, cognitive function, mood and lead to early death. The World Health Organization warns that dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older adults.

The most common early signs of dementia are forgetfulness, disorientation, getting lost or having trouble finding the right words.

A recent study suggests there may be an early symptom that occurs in walking. The study, published in Public Library of Scienceaimed to provide further support for the need to analyze early functional changes in older adults, and to seek an early association between mobility decline and cognition.

If you notice this when you walk, it may be a sign of dementia

The study of involved 95 adults in Havana, Cuba, each aged 60 years or older, who regularly did “light” exercise and had no signs of cognitive impairment.

An international team of aging researchers assessed a walking speed test on participants after asking them to stand still behind a starting line and then walk at their usual pace for about six meters, first and second the second counter being considered “acceleration” and ““Deceleration” zones, and in the middle of four meters they considered the “testing” zone.

The researchers recorded how long it took participants to walk the test area, taking the average time of two runs per participant to determine walking speed. The researchers also measured the participants’ mental acuity using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), a common screening tool for cognitive impairment in older adults, and administered an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the brain’s electrical activity.

The link between walking speed and dementia

Study results reveal significant association between decreased walking speed and changes in brain function among older adults.

Notably, 70% of participants showed a walking speed slower than 0.8 meters per second, indicating a decline. Among these participants, 80% also had abnormal EEG frequency compositions, suggesting subclinical declines in brain function.

Although there was no significant difference in MMSE scores between those with faster and slower walking speeds, all individuals with MMSE scores below 25 also had a walking speed below 0.8 meters per second and abnormal findings of EEG.

These results highlight the potential of gait speed as an early marker for cognitive and functional decline, emphasizing that seemingly minor changes as we age can signal our changing health.