Alahmari Khalid A, Alshehri Sarah
Physical Therapy Program, Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medical Applied Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
J Clin Med. 2025 Jun 26;14(13):4544. doi: 10.3390/jcm14134544.
: Cognitive impairment and vestibular dysfunction commonly co-occur in older adults and may share overlapping neuroanatomical pathways. Understanding their association may enhance the early identification of cognitive decline using clinically feasible vestibular assessments. This study aimed to examine the relationship between vestibular dysfunction and early cognitive impairment, assess the diagnostic accuracy of vestibular markers, and explore the association of subjective dizziness and balance measures with cognitive performance. : Our cross-sectional study included 90 participants aged ≥60 years, classified into cognitively healthy, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and early Alzheimer's disease (AD) groups. Cognitive function was assessed using the MoCA and the MMSE; vestibular function was evaluated via posturography sway and horizontal vHIT gain. Subjective dizziness and balance were measured using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), gait speed, and eyes-closed balance time. The data were analyzed using SPSS v24 with ANOVA, Pearson correlations, linear regression, and ROC curve analyses. : Significant group differences were found across the cognitive and vestibular scores (MoCA: = 0.001. Sway: = 0.001. vHIT: = 0.001). vHIT gain and posturography sway independently predicted the MoCA and MMSE scores (adjusted R = 0.68 and 0.65, respectively). The ROC analysis showed a strong diagnostic accuracy for posturography sway (AUC = 0.87) and vHIT gain (AUC = 0.82). : Vestibular dysfunction is significantly associated with early cognitive impairment and may serve as a useful clinical marker for cognitive screening in older adults.
认知障碍和前庭功能障碍在老年人中通常同时出现，并且可能共享重叠的神经解剖学通路。了解它们之间的关联可能会通过临床可行的前庭评估来加强对认知衰退的早期识别。本研究旨在探讨前庭功能障碍与早期认知障碍之间的关系，评估前庭标志物的诊断准确性，并探索主观头晕和平衡测量与认知表现之间的关联。：我们的横断面研究纳入了90名年龄≥60岁的参与者，分为认知健康、轻度认知障碍（MCI）和早期阿尔茨海默病（AD）组。使用蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）和简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）评估认知功能；通过姿势描记法摆动和水平视频头脉冲试验（vHIT）增益评估前庭功能。使用头晕残障量表（DHI）、步速和闭眼平衡时间测量主观头晕和平衡。使用SPSS v24进行方差分析、Pearson相关性分析、线性回归分析和ROC曲线分析。：在认知和前庭评分方面发现了显著的组间差异（MoCA：=0.001。摆动：=0.001。vHIT：=0.001）。vHIT增益和姿势描记法摆动独立预测了MoCA和MMSE评分（调整后的R分别为0.68和0.65）。ROC分析显示姿势描记法摆动（AUC=0.87）和vHIT增益（AUC=0.82）具有很强的诊断准确性。：前庭功能障碍与早期认知障碍显著相关，并且可能作为老年人认知筛查的有用临床标志物。
