Predicting the onset of dementia with longitudinal performance-based measures of physical function

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neurology
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Dementia is associated with reduced physical function in older adults.
• The acceleration of physical function decline before dementia onset is not well understood.
• Objective measures of physical function can provide insights into pre-dementia changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare changes in gait, grip strength, and functional fine motor skills in older adults who did and did not develop dementia.
• To determine if physical function declines are accelerated prior to dementia diagnosis.
• To explore the utility of physical function measures for early dementia risk identification.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal data from three Swedish cohorts (OCTO-Twin, GENDER, SATSA) were analyzed.
• Participants were propensity matched into dementia-onset (n=259) and non-dementia groups.
• Linear latent growth curve models assessed changes in physical function measures before dementia onset.

Main Results:

• Functional fine motor test performance declined significantly faster in the dementia-onset group.
• Gait speed and grip strength did not show significant differences in decline rates between groups.
• Functional fine motor decline outpaced cognitive decline (Mini-Mental Status Exam).

Conclusions:

• Accelerated decline in functional fine motor tasks may indicate elevated dementia risk.
• Functional fine motor tests could be valuable for dementia risk assessment, especially when cognitive tests are less reliable.
• These findings highlight the potential of objective physical assessments in early dementia detection.