Gait Parameters Can Reflect Cognitive Performance in Older Adults with Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: A Cross-sectional Research

Background Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common chronic progressive disease. It remains unclear whether high gait variability is a marker of cognitive cortical dysfunction. Methods This study included 285 subjects (aged from 60 to 85 years, 60.3% female) including 37 controls, 179 presented as Fazekas II, and 69 presented as Fazekas III. The severity of white matter hyperintensities was assessed by the Fazekas Rating Scale. Gait parameters were assessed using a vision-based artificial intelligent gait analyzer. Cognitive function was tested by MMSE, MoCA, DST, and VFT. Results Three gait parameters including gait speed, gait length, and swing time were associated with cognitive performance in patients with CSVD. Gait speed was associated with cognitive performance, including MMSE (β 0.200; 95%CI 1.706-6.018; p <.001), MoCA (β 0.183; 95%CI 2.047-7.046; p <.001), DST (order) (β 0.204; 95%CI 0.563-2.093; p =.001) and VFT (β 0.162; 95%CI 0.753-4.865; p =.008). Gait length was associated with cognitive performance, including MMSE (β 0.193; 95%CI 3.475-12.845; p =.001), MoCA (β 0.213; 95%CI 6.098-16.942; p <.001), DST (order) (β 0.224; 95%CI 1.056-4.839; P <.001) and VFT (β 0.149; 95%CI 1.088-10.114; p =.015). Swing time was associated with cognitive performance, including MMSE (β -0.242; 95%CI -2.639 to -0.974; p<.001), MoCA (β -0.211; 95%CI -2.989 to -1.034; p <.001) and DST (reverse order) (β -0.140; 95%CI -0.568 to -0.049; p =.020). Conclusion This study revealed that the relationship between gait parameters and cognitive performance in patients with CSVD and the deteriorated gait parameters can reflect cognitive impairment and even dementia in older people with CSVD.