Gait problems may be linked with dementia

CHICAGO, Jan 24, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A study at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center suggests gait problems often progressive in old age are related to risk of dementia and death.

The study found neurofibrillary tangles in the substantia nigra -- a part of the brain that is subject to cell loss in Parkinson's disease -- are associated with gait impairment in older people with and without dementia. The more tangle pathology in the substantia nigra, the more impaired the person's gait was before death.

The study involved 86 autopsied older subjects. Although fewer than half had dementia, nearly 78 percent had neurofibrillary tangles in the substantia nigra.

"Older persons without Parkinson's disease often exhibit parkinsonian signs, such as difficulty with walking and balance (gait impairment), slowness in movements, rigidity and tremor," said study author Dr. Julie Schneider of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. "The mild parkinsonian signs associated with aging have been historically viewed simply as an expected sign of aging rather than a disease process. Previous studies have shown that at least one of these signs, gait impairment, has harmful effects in older persons, and our current study suggests why this may be the case."

The research appears in the journal Annals of Neurology.

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