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. 2023 Jun:89:103095.
doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2023.103095. Epub 2023 Apr 29.

Interrelation between functional decline and dementia: The potential role of balance assessment

Francesca Biasin  1 , Chiara Ceolin  2 , Silvia Celli  3 , Camilla Terziotti  1 , Cecilia Raffaelli  1 , Cristiano Bontempi  1 , Maria Devita  4 , Marina De Rui  1 , Giuseppe Sergi  1 , Alessandra Coin  1
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Interrelation between functional decline and dementia: The potential role of balance assessment

Francesca Biasin et al. Hum Mov Sci. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: There has been growing interest in the past few years on the relationship between impairment of motor functions and cognitive decline, so that the first can be considered a marker of dementia. In MCI patients, the deficit in processing visual information interferes with postural control, causing oscillations and instability. Postural control is usually evaluated through the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test or Tinetti scale, but, to our knowledge, there are no many studies that considered the Biodex Balance System (BBS) in the evaluation of postural controls in MCI patients. The aim of this study was first to confirm the bi- directional relationship between cognitive and motor performance, and then to compare traditional evaluation scales (SPPB and Tinetti) with a biomechanical tool, the BBS.

Materials and methods: Observational retrospective study. In 45 elderly patients with cognitive impairment we evaluated cognition, assessed with the MMSE and MoCA, malnutrition with the MNA, and sarcopenia with DEXA (ASMMI). Motor performance was assessed with SPPB, Tinetti, and BBS.

Results: MMSE correlated more with BBS than with the traditional scales, while MoCA was also correlated with SPPB and Tinetti scores.

Conclusions: BBS had a stronger correlation with cognitive performance compared with the traditional scales. The relationship between MoCA executive items and the BBS tests suggests the usefulness of targeted interventions involving cognitive stimulation to improve motor performance, and motor training to slow the progression of cognitive decline, particularly in MCI.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Dementia; MMSE; MoCA; Older adults; Physical performance; Tinetti test.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest There are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication, and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome. The manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors, and there are no other persons who satisfy the criteria for authorship that are not listed. The order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of the authors. The Corresponding Author is the sole contact for the Editorial process. She is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs. We confirm that we have provided a current, correct email address which is accessible by the Corresponding Author.

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