title: Gait speed or gait variability, which one to use as a marker of risk to develop Alzheimer disease? A pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous literature demonstrates the interest of gait analysis to predict cognitive decline in old people.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This pilot study aims to determine if gait speed or gait variability is a marker able to early identify, among mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects, those at risk to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the future.
  
  
  METHODS
  13 MCI subjects were included in 2007. Their gait parameters (walking speed, stride length and gait frequency, regularity and symmetry) were measured in 2007 and 2008 in simple task (ST) and in dual task (DT) using a triaxial accelerometer (Locometrix(®)). Among the 13 MCI subjects included in 2007, 10 were assessed in 2008. So, 23 (13 in 2007 + 10 in 2008) gait tests were collected. In 2011, MCI people were considered as "MCI+" when they developed AD (between baseline and 2011) and as "MCI-" if they did not. Among the 23 gait tests, 15 were from MCI+ (9 gait tests in 2007 and 6 in 2008) and 8 from MCI- (4 gait tests in 2007 and 4 gait tests in 2008). Mann-Whitney non-parametric U test was used to compare gait parameters of MCI+ and MCI-.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gait speed, symmetry and regularity were lower in MCI+ than in MCI-.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the small sample size, the results presented in this original pilot study are in line as the infrequent previous literature related to this topic. The authors discuss lacks and strengths of this work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that both gait speed and gait variability could be markers to early identify MCI at risk to develop AD.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Department, CHU Site Notre Dame des Bruyères, Rue de Gaillarmont, 600, 4032, Chenee, Belgium. s.gillain@gmail.com.|Geriatric Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium. s.gillain@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gillain
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 3797, Reims, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dramé
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Day Hospital and Memory Clinic, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lekeu
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Day Hospital and Memory Clinic, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wojtasik
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ricour
authors.affiliation: Motricity Sciences Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Croisier
authors.affiliation: Memory Clinic, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petermans
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry / Q000379:methods; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001530:Belgium; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D000072797:Walking Speed
keywords: Alzheimer disease; Gait speed; MCI; Regularity; Variability