Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Impairments Affects Gait Parameters in the Spatial Navigation Task

This study aimed to determine whether navigation abilities could differentiate seniors with and without medial temporal lobe atrophy who complained about their cognitive status. The participants, classified to either the medial temporal atrophy group (n = 23) or the control group (n = 22) underwent neuropsychological assessment and performed a spatial navigation task while their gait parameters were recorded. The study showed no significant differences between the two groups in memory, fluency, and semantic knowledge or typical measures of navigating abilities. However, gait parameters, particularly the propulsion index during certain phases of the navigation task, distinguished between seniors with and without medial temporal lobe lesions. These findings suggest that the gait parameters in the navigation task may be a valuable tool for identifying seniors with cognitive complaints and subtle medial temporal atrophy.PMID:37989135 | DOI:10.1123/japa.2022-0335

Source: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity - November 21, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Natalia Anna Pawlaczyk Rafa ł Milner Magdalena Szmytke Bart łomiej Kiljanek Bibianna Ba łaj Aleksandra Wypych Monika Lewandowska Source Type: research