Abstract
Objectives
To systematically summarize the evidence of gait tests as screening tools for mild
cognitive impairment (MCI).
Data Sources
Electronic database searches were conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane, Web of Science,
Ovid, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and SinoMed, and studies published
before November 30, 2018, were included.
Study Selection
Synonyms of MCI, gait, and cognitive-motor interference (CMI) were searched. Studies
that analyzed gait change of people with MCI in single- or dual-task gait tests were
included.
Data Extraction
The quality of the included studies was assessed with Downs and Black methodological
quality appraisal tools. Study characteristics, participants’ characteristics, test
descriptions, and results were extracted from the included studies.
Data Synthesis
Twenty-two studies involving 1928 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed
that gait velocity difference in dual task (effect size [ES]=−0.89) were more obvious
than in single task (ES=−0.74) between older adults with and without MCI, and the
ES increased with the complexity of cognitive load (countdown by 1s, ES=−0.83; verbal
fluency, ES=−0.96; serial reduction by 7s, ES=−1.26). The dual-task cost of gait velocity
showed high sensitivity (ES=0.90) in detecting MCI. Meta-regression analysis demonstrated
strong criterion-related validity between the CMI of gait velocity and the Montreal
Cognitive Assessment score.
Conclusions
In comparison with the single-task gait test, gait change under cognitive load is
more pronounced in older adults with MCI. CMI of gait velocity can be a potential
screening tool for MCI in elderly persons.
List of abbreviations:
CMI (cognitive-motor interference), DTC (dual-task cost), ES (effect size), MCI (mild cognitive impairment), MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), SMD (standardized mean difference)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 15, 2020
Footnotes
Supported by the International Science and Technology Cooperation Project of Hubei Province (2017AHB051).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
