Coppin Antonia K, Shumway-Cook Anne, Saczynski Jane S, Patel Kushang V, Ble Alessandro, Ferrucci Luigi, Guralnik Jack M
Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Age Ageing. 2006 Nov;35(6):619-24. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afl107.
previous studies have reported an association between cognitive function and physical performance, particularly among older adults.
to examine the association between executive function and performance difference on complex versus usual walking tasks in a sample of non-demented older adults.
population-based epidemiological study of older people residing in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy).
737 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years and older.
gait speed (m/s) was measured during the performance of complex walking tasks (walking/talking, walking/picking-up an object, walking/carrying a large package, walking over obstacles, walking with a weighted vest) and reference walking tasks (7 m usual pace, 7 m fast pace and 60 m fast pace). Executive function was assessed using the Trail Making Test (TMT). Other measures included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), sociodemographic characteristics and selected physiological impairments.
gait speed for the selected reference and complex walk tasks was consistently lower among participants with poor executive function. Per cent decline in gait speed compared with the reference task differed by executive function for certain tasks (e.g. walking/obstacles: 30 versus 24% decline in low versus high executive function respectively, P = 0.0006) but not for others.
poor executive function is associated with measures of gait, including specific challenges. Overall, the results showed that the cost associated with the addition of a challenge to the basic walking task differs by executive function and the nature of the task. Further research is needed to determine whether improvement in executive function abilities translates to better performance on selected complex walking tasks.
先前的研究报告了认知功能与身体机能之间的关联，尤其是在老年人中。
在一组非痴呆老年人样本中，研究执行功能与复杂步行任务和常规步行任务表现差异之间的关联。
对居住在基安蒂地区（意大利托斯卡纳）的老年人进行基于人群的流行病学研究。
737名年龄在65岁及以上的社区居住个体。
在执行复杂步行任务（边走边说、边走边捡起物体、边走边携带大包裹、越过障碍物、穿着加重背心行走）和参考步行任务（7米常规步速、7米快速步速和60米快速步速）期间测量步速（米/秒）。使用连线测验（TMT）评估执行功能。其他测量包括简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）、社会人口学特征和选定的生理损伤。
执行功能较差的参与者在选定的参考步行任务和复杂步行任务中的步速始终较低。与参考任务相比，某些任务的步速下降百分比因执行功能而异（例如，越过障碍物行走：低执行功能组下降30%，高执行功能组下降24%，P = 0.0006），但其他任务并非如此。
执行功能较差与步态测量结果相关，包括特定挑战。总体而言，结果表明，在基本步行任务中增加一项挑战所带来的代价因执行功能和任务性质而异。需要进一步研究以确定执行功能能力的改善是否能转化为在选定的复杂步行任务中表现更好。
