A new in-home device that monitors movement and gait speed can evaluate Parkinson's disease severity, progression, and a patient's response to medication.
Older adults who continue to perform household chores have better cognition, attention span, and physical strength compared to those who no longer do their own home keeping chores. Housework in older adults was also linked to a decreased risk of falls.
Insufficient sleep can negatively affect walking, specifically how we control stride and gait. Those who experienced a lack of sleep demonstrated less control when they walked.
Researchers have linked Fragile X and SHANK3 deletion syndrome, two disorders associated with autism, to specific microscopic walking patterns.
A new small-scale study reveals transcranial direct current stimulation improved gait and increased the benefits of aerobic exercise in Parkinson's patients.
Combing gait data from multiple sclerosis patients with machine learning, researchers have developed a new tool to monitor and predict disease progression.
Gait variability in older adults could be a predictor of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found higher gait variability was associated with lower cognitive performance and an accurate predictor of Alzheimer's disease.
Handgrip strength correlates with cognitive function, attention, and psychomotor function in older men. No association was found between muscle mass and cognitive function.
Gait disorders and slowed walking speeds may be useful indicators of future cognitive decline.
Slower walkers have accelerated aging in middle age, both physically and cognitively. Tests given to measure IQ, language, motor skills, and emotional control at age 3, can predict walking speed and thus accelerated aging during middle age.
People with two common types of dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, have unique walking patterns. The gait type signals subtle differences between the two disorders. Those with Lew body dementia change their steps more, varying the step time and length. They also display more asymmetry in movement compared to those with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers say gait could be a clinical biomarker for dementia subtypes.
Slower walking speed may be associated with the development of mobility disorders later in life.
