Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan:143:111164.
doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.111164. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Cognitive decline negatively impacts physical function

Michelle Gray  1 , Joshua L Gills  2 , Jordan M Glenn  3 , Jennifer L Vincenzo  4 , Christopher S Walter  4 , Erica N Madero  5 , Aidan Hall  5 , Nami Fuseya  5 , Nick T Bott  6
Affiliations

Cognitive decline negatively impacts physical function

Michelle Gray et al. Exp Gerontol. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Many older adults report difficulty performing one or more activities of daily living. These difficulties may be attributed to cognitive decline and as a result, measuring cognitive status among aging adults may help provide an understanding of current functional status. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the association between cognitive status and measures of physical functioning. Seventy-six older adults participated in this study; 41 were categorized as normal memory function (NM) and 35 were poor memory function (PM). NM participants had significantly higher physical function as measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; 9.4 ± 2.2 vs. 8.4 ± 2.0; p = .03) and peak velocity (0.67 ± 0.16 vs. 0.56 ± 0.19; p = .04) during a quick sit-to-stand task. Dual-task walking velocities were 22% and 126% slower between cognitive groups for the fast and habitual trials, respectively when compared to the single-task walking condition. Significant correlations existed between measures of memory and physical function. The largest correlations with memory were for peak (r = 0.42) and average (r = 0.38) velocity. The results suggest a positive relationship between physical function and cognitive status. However, further research is needed to determine the mechanism of the underlying relationships between physical and cognitive function.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition, movement velocity, dual-task, memory; Physical function.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Note. SPPB = Short Physical Performance Battery; NM = Normal memory function; PM Poor memory function. * represents significant difference from HCF group. Values are reported as means ± SD.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Note. SPPB = Short Physical Performance Battery; NM = Normal memory function; PM = Poor memory function. * represents significant difference from HCF group. Values are reported as means ± SD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Administration on Aging, 2018. In: Services. U.S.D.o.H.a.H (Ed.), Profile of Older Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
    1. Alzheimer’s Association, 2019. 2019 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimers Dement. 15, 321–387.
    1. Asai T, Oshima K, Fukumoto Y, Yonezawa Y, Matsuo A, Misu S, 2018. Association of fall history with the Timed Up and Go test score and the dual task cost: a cross-sectional study among independent community-dwelling older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 18, 1189–1193. - PubMed
    1. Atkinson HH, Rapp SR, Williamson JD, Lovato J, Absher JR, Gass M, et al., 2009. The relationship between cognitive function and physical performance in older women: results from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 65A, 300–306. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aubert CE, Folly A, Mancinetti M, Hayoz D, Donzé JD, 2017. Performance-based functional impairment and readmission and death: a prospective study. BMJ Open 7, 1–7. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types