Locomotion Adaptation Deficits in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimers Disease
In people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD), reduced capacity for locomotor adaptation is a fundamental but poorly understood mechanism that can be a sensitive biomarker of cognitive-motor impairments. It is also an important therapeutic target for exercise-based interventions to improve walking function. The overall goal of this study is to understand the effects of MCI and AD on locomotor adaptation and walking function.
• AD and MCI will be defined through formal diagnosis provided by a board-certified Neurologist. Amnestic MCI will be defined using the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) criteria. All MCI participants in ADNI are required to have an amnestic subtype defined as:
‣ Subjective memory concern or a memory problem noted by their partner
⁃ Abnormal memory function documented by a specified education adjusted cutoff score on the delayed paragraph recall of the Anna Thompson story of the Logical Memory subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised
⁃ Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score between 20 and 26 (inclusive). Exceptions may be made for subjects with less than 8 years of education at the discretion of the PI. (iv) Single or multi-domain amnestic MCI (both subtypes are at high risk for progression to AD)
⁃ Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 0.5 (Memory Box score must be at least 0.5)
⁃ General functional performance sufficiently preserved
• Evidence of impaired executive function based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score 13-17
• Able to walk 10 or more feet without an assistive device
• Completed six grades of education or has a good work history (sufficient to exclude intellectual disabilities)
• Not hospitalized within the last 60 days