Slow gait as a motor marker of mild cognitive impairment? the relationships between functional mobility and mild cognitive impairment

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between functional mobility and mild cognitive impairment in older adults. A total of 800 older adults were recruited (653 controls and 147 subjects with MCI [88 subjects with aMCI and 59 subjects with naMCI]). Motor performance was measured with the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). The demographic factors associated with MCI were: age (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01–1.09) and the level of education (OR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.68–0.79). An independent clinical factor associated with MCI was the TUG (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03–1.27). In the aMCI group, the relation between the TUG and cognitive status occurred (OR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.02–1.31), whereas in the naMCI group this relationship was not observed. There is an association between cognitive dysfunction and impaired motor performance in older adults with MCI.