Association of the Timed Up and Go Test With Alzheimer's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PurposeTo evaluate and estimate the association between Time and Go (TUG) test performance and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older adults.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to synthesize data from studies examining the relationship between TUG test score and AD or MCI in adult subjects. The search strategy was applied to MEDLINE (OVID), Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. For meta-analysis, effect sizes were pooled using a random-effects model to account for heterogeneity across studies. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and publication bias was evaluated through funnel plot analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the findings.ResultsA total of 25 studies were included in this review, of which 15 were incorporated into the meta-analysis. Participants with AD (4.22 [95% CI 2.76-5.69 s], p < 0.00001) and those with MCI (1.83 [95% CI 1.03-2.57 s], p < 0.00001) exhibited significantly longer times in the simple TUG test compared to healthy controls. The Dual-Task TUG test showed a stronger association with AD in the studies included in the analysis. AD participants demonstrated significantly longer test times (12.28 [95% CI 6.56-18.0 s], p < 0.0001) compared to cognitively normal controls.ConclusionsThis review highlights a potential association between TUG completion time and cognitive impairment in individuals with AD and MCI. The TUG test shows promise as a tool for the early identification and screening of cognitive decline and AD.