Association between mild cognitive impairment and trajectory-based spatial parameters during timed up and go test using a laser range sensor.
Shu Nishiguchi, Ayanori Yorozu, Daiki Adachi and 2 others
PMID 28789676WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment turned closer to the TUG marker and made a narrower forward path.
Their total TUG time did not differ, so timing alone may miss these movement differences.
Key findings
01The mild cognitive impairment group had a shorter minimum distance from the turning marker than the normal group (13.2 ±3.9 cm vs 15.3 ±3.9 cm, p=0.044).
02The mild cognitive impairment group had a smaller forward-phase center-of-gravity area (0.61 ±0.16 m2 vs 0.72 ±0.17 m2, p=0.012) and a lower forward/whole-phase area ratio (42.9 ±10.7% vs 49.3 ±10.8%, p=0.026).
03After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, education and TUG time, these three path parameters remained independently associated with mild cognitive impairment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show that the path changes caused, predicted, or resulted from mild cognitive impairment. Only 63 community-dwelling volunteers were studied, and they were relatively healthy and able to walk independently, so findings may not apply to more impaired or frail older adults. Mild cognitive impairment was defined only by an MMSE cut-off, and executive function was not measured, so the cognitive basis of the path differences is unclear. The paper contains an internal inconsistency: one results sentence says the minimum distance did not differ, while the reported table and p-value say it did.
Declared interests
Funded by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI. No author conflict-of-interest statements are included.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these path measurements diagnose mild cognitive impairment or predict decline. The study was cross-sectional, volunteers were selected by MMSE score, and total TUG time did not differ between groups.