Timed Up and Go test, atrophy of medial temporal areas and cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment.
This study aimed to ascertain if performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is associated with indicators of brain volume and cognitive functions among community-dwelling older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.



Participants were 80 community-dwelling older adults aged 65-89years (44 men, 36 women), including 20 with mild cognitive impairment. Participants completed the TUG and a battery of cognitive assessments, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Logical Memory I and II (LM-I, LM-II) subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised; and the Trail Making Test A and B (TMT-A, TMT-B). Bilateral, right- and left-side medial temporal area atrophy as well as whole gray and white matter indices were determined with the Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease. We divided participants into three groups based on TUG performance: "better" (≤6.9s); "normal" (7-10s); and "poor" (≥10.1s).



Worse TMT-A and TMT-B performance showed significant independent associations with worse TUG performance (P<0.05, P<0.01 for trend, respectively). After adjusting for covariates, severe atrophy of bilateral, right-, and left-side medial temporal areas were significantly independently associated with worse TUG performance (P<0.05 for trend). However, no significant associations were found between MMSE, LM-I, LM-II, whole gray and white matter indices, and TUG performance.



Worse TUG performance is related to poor performance on TMT-A and TMT-B, and is independently associated with severe medial temporal area atrophy in community-dwelling older adults.
Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
Yujiro
Y
Kose
Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
Masahiro
M
Ikenaga
Department of Nutritional Science, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8636, Japan.
Yosuke
Y
Yamada
Department of Education, Syujitsu University, 1-6-1 Nishi-kawahara, Naka-ku, Okayama, 703-8516, Japan.
Kazuhiro
K
Morimura
Kogakuin University, Division of Liberal Arts, 2665-1 Nakano, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
Noriko
N
Takeda
Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University Faculty of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
Shinji
S
Ouma
Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University Faculty of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
Yoshio
Y
Tsuboi
Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University Faculty of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; Gotanda Rehabilitation Hospital, 8-8-20 Nishi-gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0031, Japan.
Tatsuo
T
Yamada
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Kyoto Gakuen University, 1-1 Nanjyo-Otani, Sokabemachi, Kameoka, Kyoto 621-8555, Japan; The Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Misaka
M
Kimura
Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; The Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Akira
A
Kiyonaga
Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; The Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: higaki@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.
Yasuki
Y
Higaki
Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; The Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Hiroaki
H
Tanaka
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001284:Atrophy; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014145:Trail Making Test
Community-dwelling older adults; Medial temporal area processing speed; Mild cognitive impairment; Timed Up and Go