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. 2025 Jan 4;230(1):25.
doi: 10.1007/s00429-024-02873-6.

Mapping the neural substrate of high dual-task gait cost in older adults across the cognitive spectrum

Pauline Ali  1   2   3 , Mickaël Dinomais  4   5 , Matthieu Labriffe  6 , Frederico Pieruccini-Faria  7   8 , Manuel Montero-Odasso  7   8   9 , Robert Bartha  10   11 , Cédric Annweiler  10   12   13
Affiliations

Mapping the neural substrate of high dual-task gait cost in older adults across the cognitive spectrum

Pauline Ali et al. Brain Struct Funct. .

Abstract

The dual task cost of gait (DTC) is an accessible and cost-effective test that can help identify individuals with cognitive decline and dementia. However, its neural substrate has not been widely described. This study aims to investigate the neural substrate of the high DTC in older adults across the spectrum of cognitive decline. A total of 336 individuals from the GAIT study cohort were analyzed, including cognitively healthy (N = 122, 71 ± 3.6 years), those with mild cognitive impairment (N = 168, 71 ± 5.3 years), and those with dementia (N = 46, 80 ± 5.7 years). A DTC of 20% or greater was considered to indicate a high level of slowing down while performing successively two verbal tasks (counting backwards task by ones and naming animals). Voxel-based morphometry was employed to investigate differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between groups, which were dichotomized according to the DTC. A high DTC in the whole population (N = 336) was associated with a smaller GMV in the bilateral temporal lobe across both dual-task conditions. A moderation analysis was employed to compare the neural substrate between cognitive status groups. This revealed that the dementia group exhibited an additional cluster located in the left precentral gyrus with GMV loss associated with a high naming animals DTC, in contrast to the other cognitive groups. These results provide new evidence on why dual-task gait capabilities deteriorate in normal and pathological cognitive aging. A more precise understanding of the neural substrate associated with high DTC and cognitive status would help elucidate its use in clinical and research settings.

Keywords: Aging; Cognitive impairment; Dual-task cost of gait; Gray matter volume; Neural substrate.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Output model of Cognitive Status Moderation effect on the relationship between Gray Matter Volume (GMV) and Dual-Task Cost (DTC)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mapping of Gray Matter Volume (GMV) Difference Between High versus Low Dual-Task Cost (DTC): (Counting backwards (CB) is shown in red and Naming Animals (NA) in green) in all three orientations. The red cluster shows a significant loss of GMV in individuals with high CB DTC in comparison to low CB DTC. The green cluster shows a significant loss of GMV in individuals with high NA DTC compared to low NA DTC. The yellow area shows the overlap of the both dual-task cost conditions. Results are showed adjusted on age, sex, educational level, MRI type, WMHs, and TIV with a significance of p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Gray Matter Volume concentration (GMV) in the left precentral gyrus according to the load of Naming Animal Dual-Task Cost (NA DTC) and the cognitive status: Low NA DTC in light blue and High NA DTC in dark blue in older adults with dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and control group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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