The Correlation between Cognition Screening Scores and Gait Status from Three-Dimensional Gait Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Gait impairment is a common but often underdiagnosed symptom in patients with cognitive decline and dementia.
• The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are widely used screening tools for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between gait parameters and scores from the Korean versions of the MMSE (MMSE-DS) and MoCA (MoCA-K).
• To determine which screening tool, MMSE-DS or MoCA-K, more accurately reflects gait status in individuals with cognitive decline.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 18 patients with MCI and 19 with early-stage dementia.
• Administered Korean versions of MMSE-DS and MoCA-K, alongside neuropsychological tests.
• Utilized a 3D motion-capture system for objective gait measurements, analyzing walking speed and stride length.

Main Results:

• MoCA-K scores significantly correlated with walking speed (r=0.408) and stride length (r=0.334).
• After age adjustment, MoCA-K remained correlated with walking speed (r=0.331), unlike MMSE-DS.
• Neuropsychological tests indicated walking speed and stride length correlate with memory and frontal lobe function.

Conclusions:

• MoCA-K demonstrates a stronger association with gait status compared to MMSE-DS in patients with cognitive decline.
• MoCA-K appears to be a more advantageous screening tool for detecting dementia and associated gait disturbances.