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A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
12:18

A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: January 11, 2020

Mobility decline of unknown origin in mild cognitive impairment: an MRI-based clinical study of the pathogenesis

Fannie Onen1, Marie Cécile Henry-Feugeas, Carine Roy

  • 1Department of Geriatrics, Bichat-Claude Bernard University Hospital, AP-HP, 46 rue Henri Huchard, Paris cedex 18, France.

Brain Research
|June 27, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Mobility issues in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are linked to brain changes. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test best predicts periventricular leukoaraiosis, suggesting vascular issues contribute to mobility decline.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Geriatrics
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Mobility dysfunction predicts dementia in the elderly.
  • Periventricular leukoaraiosis (LA) is associated with mobility decline in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  • The pathogenesis of LA and its link to mobility issues in MCI require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify gait and balance parameters that best correlate with periventricular LA in individuals with MCI.
  • To elucidate the pathogenesis of mobility decline in MCI.
  • To understand the relationship between vascular factors and mobility dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • High-resolution MRI and detailed mobility assessments were conducted on 61 MCI subjects (mean age 72±5 years).
  • Cognitive function was assessed using the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) and Trail Making Test B (TMB).
  • Mobility was evaluated through fall history, walking while talking test, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, gait speed, and balance tests (standing and one-leg standing).

Main Results:

  • Marked periventricular LA correlated with slower postural changes, gait (TUG, gait speed), and impaired balance.
  • After adjusting for age and ventriculomegaly, TUG test performance ( >10 s) was the sole significant clinical predictor of periventricular LA (P=0.002).
  • Poorer TUG performance was more common in individuals with vascular versus Alzheimer's disease-like cognitive profiles (P=0.01).

Conclusions:

  • The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a key clinical predictor of periventricular leukoaraiosis in MCI.
  • Subtle vascular extrapyramidal dysfunction is a likely pathomechanism underlying mobility dysfunction in MCI.
  • Findings support a link between vascular brain changes and mobility decline in individuals with MCI.

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