A person's walking gait reliably indicates aspects of their cognitive status
A large body of empirical research demonstrates that a person's walking gait—including speed, variability, and joint kinematics—serves as a reliable indicator of their cognitive status and can help detect early cognitive decline.
The retrieved papers consistently report significant associations between spatiotemporal and kinematic gait characteristics and cognitive status across various cohorts, supporting the claim without any contradictory evidence.
Q. Zhong, N. Ali, Yaxin Gao, Han Wu, Xixi Wu, Cuiyun Sun, Jinhui Ma, L. Thabane, Ming Xiao, Qiu-min Zhou, Y. Shen, Tong Wang, Yi Zhu. Gait Kinematic and Kinetic Characteristics of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Cross-Sectional Study. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.664558
Paper [0] demonstrates that older adults with mild cognitive impairment exhibit significant kinematic gait alterations compared to healthy controls.
See more details
Magnus Lindh-Rengifo, Stina B. Jonasson, S. Ullén, E. Stomrud, S. Palmqvist, N. Mattsson‐Carlgren, O. Hansson, M. Nilsson. Components of gait in people with and without mild cognitive impairment.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2022.01.012
Paper [1] identifies specific core gait components, such as step velocity variability and mean step length, that are associated with mild cognitive impairment.
S. Boripuntakul, T. Kamnardsiri, S. Lord, Surinthorn Maiarin, Puangsoi Worakul, S. Sungkarat. Gait variability during abrupt slow and fast speed transitions in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276658
Paper [2] shows that individuals with mild cognitive impairment have greater gait variability during speed transitions, reflecting cognitive-motor deficits.
N. Ali, Jin Liu, Huifang Tian, W. Pan, Yao Tang, Q. Zhong, Yaxin Gao, Ming Xiao, Han Wu, Cuiyun Sun, Ting-Yao Wu, Xi Yang, Tong Wang, Yi Zhu. A novel dual-task paradigm with story recall shows significant differences in the gait kinematics in older adults with cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional study. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.992873
Paper [3] indicates that kinematic gait parameters, particularly under dual-task conditions, can effectively differentiate individuals with cognitive impairment from normal controls.
Shanguo Du, Xiaojuan Ma, Jiachen Wang, Yan Mi, J Zhang, Chengxue Du, Xiaobo Li, H. Tan, Chen Liang, Tian Yang, Wenzhen Shi, Ge-juan Zhang, Ye Tian. Spatiotemporal gait parameter fluctuations in older adults affected by mild cognitive impairment: comparisons among three cognitive dual-task tests. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04281-7
Paper [4] finds robust associations between temporal gait parameters and cognitive decline, especially under dual-task paradigms.
K. Kwak, E. Kostić, Dongwook Kim. Gait variability-based classification of the stages of the cognitive decline using partial least squares-discriminant analysis. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504231218604
Paper [5] reveals that gait variability changes continuously with cognitive decline across sub-gait cycles and joint biomechanics.
Magnus Lindh-Rengifo, Stina B. Jonasson, S. Ullén, S. Palmqvist, D. van Westen, E. Stomrud, N. Mattsson‐Carlgren, Maria H. Nilsson, Oskar Hansson. Effects of Brain Pathologies on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-221303
Paper [6] establishes that specific brain pathologies linked to cognitive impairment correlate with distinct spatiotemporal gait parameters.
Mamta Saini, M. Subramanian, A. R. Rao, Meenal Thakral, Vishwajeet Singh, A. Chakrawarty, P. Chatterjee, A. Dey. Gait Parameters Change can be an Early Marker of Cognitive Impairment.. 2024. https://doi.org/10.4103/ni.ni_148_22
Paper [7] observes that various gait parameters worsen in tandem with increasing severity of cognitive impairment.
Tatsuya Fukuoka, S. Irie, Yoshiteru Watanabe, Toshiki Kutsuna, Akiko Abe. The relationship between spatiotemporal gait parameters and cognitive function in healthy adults: protocol for a cross-sectional study. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01122-z
Paper [8] outlines a framework demonstrating that walking parameters serve as effective biomarkers for detecting early sub-clinical cognitive risk.
Caroline Simpkins, Diané Brown, Jiyun Ahn, S. Khalili, Feng Yang. EXAMINATION OF DYNAMIC GAIT STABILITY DURING OVERGROUND WALKING IN PEOPLE WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.112836
Paper [9] reports that individuals with mild cognitive impairment adopt altered gait patterns and slower velocities to maintain dynamic stability.
Nagamine T. Unlocking the silent signals: Motor kinematics as a new frontier in early detection of mild cognitive impairment.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v16.i1.112073
Paper [10] highlights the viability of using motor kinematics and machine learning as a frontier for detecting mild cognitive impairment.
Mills R, Langheinrich T, Uiga L, Daniels KAJ, Maudsley-Barton S, Riaz M, Chen C, Thomas O, Atherton C, Reeves ND, Tullberg M. Three-dimensional kinematic gait signatures of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a biomechanical framework toward objective diagnosis.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12987-026-00813-6
Paper [11] details how three-dimensional kinematic gait signatures provide objective biomechanical markers for neurological conditions impacting cognition and motor coordination.
The paper trail · every fact has a biography
Challenge the receipt
Citation formatting by citeproc-js (Frank Bennett) and the Citation Style Language project. Source and licenses.
Terms · Privacy · How verdicts work · Dispute this receipt