Studies whether walking patterns can predict memory decline and falls in older adults
Watches walking while thinking to see who with mild memory problems may decline.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Gait as Predictor of Dementia and Falls. The Gait and Brain Cohort Study
Key facts
- Where
- London, CanadaSee the site
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for older adults aged 60-85 who do not have dementia and can walk 10 meters without a walking aid. It studies whether the way people walk can predict memory decline and falls.
- Age
- 60 to 85 years
- Sex
- Men and women
- Disease stage
- No dementia. The trial studies mild or subjective cognitive impairment and related conditions.
- Earlier treatment
- People cannot join if they use psychotropic drugs that can affect movement, for example neuroleptics and benzodiazepines.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Cannot understand English
- Parkinsonism or another nerve disorder with leftover movement problems, for example stroke or epilepsy
- Muscle or bone disorder found at examination that affects walking
- Active osteoarthritis in the legs
- Severe depression (score above 12/15 on the Geriatric Depression Scale)
Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 60 and 85 years old?
Source: NCT03020381, who can take part
Where in Canada
- Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood InstituteLondon, CanadaContact: Dr. Manuel Montero OdassoTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Manuel Montero Odasso
- Trial code
- NCT03020381
- Record updated
- 21 December 2023
- Original description
Motor slowing and cognitive slowing are more prevalent as we age. Importantly, the presence of both in an older person increases their risk of having dementia by ten times. Currently, there are no clinically meaningful predictors of progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The main hypothesis is that subtle variations in gait while performing a simple cognitive task is a reliable, easy to perform, and feasible methodology to detect those older adults at higher risk of progression to dementia and also, at higher risk of further mobility decline and falls.Read full original descriptionShow less
Gait as Predictor of Cognitive Decline, Dementia, and Risk of Falls in MCI. A Cohort Study
Motor slowing and cognitive slowing are more prevalent as we age. Importantly, the presence of both in an older person increases their risk of having dementia by ten times. Currently, there are no clinically meaningful predictors of progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The main hypothesis is that subtle variations in gait while performing a simple cognitive task is a reliable, easy to perform, and feasible methodology to detect those older adults at higher risk of progression to dementia and also, at higher risk of further mobility decline and falls.
Rationale. The Canadian population is aging. According to recent estimates, the proportion of the population aged 65 and older will increase rapidly from 13% in 2005 to 25% by 2031. This increase in proportion is accompanied by a considerable amount of disability and subsequent dependency which has major effects on both the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers, and on the Canadian health care system. An important goal of geriatric medicine is to reduce the gap between life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy by reducing disability and dependency in the later years of life. A substantial portion of this disability stems from two major geriatric syndromes: cognitive impairment and mobility limitation. The ultimate manifestations of these syndromes are dementia and falls. Interestingly, these manifestations often coexist in elderly people: falling is a common geriatric syndrome affecting about a third of older adults each year, and dementia affects about a third of Canadians aged 80 and over. Together, dementia and falls are responsible for much of the discomfort, disability, and health care utilization in older adults and each will become more prevalent as older Canadians are expected to number approximately $9 million by 2031. The combined direct cost of dementia and falls for the Canadian Health System is over $4.9 billion per year.
Establishing reliable and easy to obtain predictors to accurately identify MCI patients at highest risk of progressing to dementia is essential first, to determine who will benefit from additional and/or invasive testing and second, to implement preventative strategies, including cognitive training, physical exercises, and aggressive vascular risk factors correction to delay progression. Even a modest one-year delay in dementia incidence could save Canada $109 billion over 30 years.
Exclusion: Parkinsonism or any neurological disorder with residual motor deficit (e.g.: stroke, epilepsy); Musculoskeletal disorder detected by clinical examination which affects gait performance; Unable to understand English; Active osteoarthritis affecting the lower limbs at clinical evaluation; Use of psychotropics which can affect motor performance (e.g. neuroleptics and benzodiazepines); Severe Depression (score > 12/15 on the Geriatric Depression Scale).
General Inclusion Criteria:; Absence of Dementia (DSM IV-TR or DSM V criteria); Aged 60-85 years; Able to walk independently 10 meters without any gait aid (for example: walker, cane).