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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ríona McArdle
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Research links gait impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to cognitive abnormalities, brain atrophy, or amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, with the exact cause unclear. This study investigated the relationship between gait, neuroimaging biomarkers, and cognition across the AD spectrum. We recruited 48 AD dementia patients, 27 with prodromal AD, and 41 cognitively unimpaired individuals, analyzing associations among gait parameters, cognitive scores, Aβ deposition, and cortical atrophy. Path and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses evaluated gait impairment’s interdependent interactions and diagnostic potential. Prodromal AD and AD dementia patients showed significantly slower gait pace than CU (p=0.014 [velocity], p=0.003 [step length]), linked to attention and executive functions, widespread Aβ deposition, and cortical atrophy, in the inferior parietal lobule, middle temporal gyrus, precuneus, and insula. Compared to CU, AD dementia patients exhibited greater gait variability and phase (p=0.017 [step length standard deviation], p=0.001 [double support percentage]), significantly correlated with cognition and Aβ deposition. Path analysis revealed a combined influence of Aβ deposition, cognitive impairment, and cortical atrophy on gait impairment, with>80% observed gait impairments directly affected by Aβ deposition. ROC curves for diagnosing AD stages showed significant areas under the curve, suggesting gait characteristics as noninvasive biomarkers for early AD diagnosis and progression monitoring.
Author(s): Kim SW, Kim DH, Hong JY, Mun KR, Jung D, Hong I, Mc Ardle R, Seong JK, Baek MS
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Scientific Reports
Year: 2025
Volume: 15
Online publication date: 14/02/2025
Acceptance date: 10/02/2025
Date deposited: 17/02/2025
ISSN (electronic): 2045-2322
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90020-4
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-90020-4
Data Access Statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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