Mobility and Cognition in Seniors. Report from the 2008 Institute of Aging (CIHR) Mobility and Cognition Workshop

Manuel Montero-Odasso; Louis Bherer; Stephanie Studenski; Karen Gopaul; Afua Oteng-Amoako; Sarah Woolmore-Goodwin; Paul Stoole; Jennie Wells; Timothy Doherty; Aleksandra A Zecevic; David Galinsky; R Jane Rylett; Jeffrey Jutai; Susan Muir-Hunter; Mark Speechley; Richard Camicioli

doi:10.5770/cgj.18.188

Mobility and Cognition in Seniors. Report from the 2008 Institute of Aging (CIHR) Mobility and Cognition Workshop

Can Geriatr J. 2015 Sep 30;18(3):159-67. doi: 10.5770/cgj.18.188. eCollection 2015 Sep.

Authors

Manuel Montero-Odasso¹, Louis Bherer², Stephanie Studenski³, Karen Gopaul⁴, Afua Oteng-Amoako⁴, Sarah Woolmore-Goodwin⁵, Paul Stoole⁶, Jennie Wells⁵, Timothy Doherty⁶, Aleksandra A Zecevic⁷, David Galinsky⁸, R Jane Rylett⁹, Jeffrey Jutai¹⁰, Susan Muir-Hunter¹¹, Mark Speechley¹², Richard Camicioli¹³

Affiliations

¹ Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON; ; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON; ; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
² Department of Psychology and PERFORM Center, Concordia University, Montreal, QC;
³ Translational Gerontology Branch Longitudinal Studies Section, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MA, USA;
⁴ Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
⁵ Division of Geriatric Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
⁶ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
⁷ School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
⁸ Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel;
⁹ Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
¹⁰ Faculty of Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON;
¹¹ Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON; ; School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
¹² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
¹³ Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.

Abstract

Background: The annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology was held on October 24 and 25, 2008 in London, Ontario. Prior to the annual meeting, mobility and cognition experts met on October 23, 2008 to engage in a pre-conference workshop.

Methods: Discussions during the workshop addressed novel areas of research and knowledge and research gaps pertaining to the interaction between mobility and cognition in seniors.

Results: Workshop presenters moved from the neuromuscular, biomechanics, and neurology of gait impairments, and falls through the role of cognition and mood on mobility regulation to the whole person in the environment. Research gaps were identified.

Conclusions: Despite a consensus that mobility and cognition are increasingly correlated as people age, several gaps in our understanding of mechanisms and how to assess the interaction were recognized. The gaps originally identified in 2008 are still pertinent today. Common and standardized assessments for "mobility and cognition" are still not in place in current practice. Interventions that target mobility and cognitive decline as a single entity are still lacking.

Keywords: MCI; Parkinson’s disease; dual-task gait; executive function; exercises; falls; gait variability; mobility.

Publication types

Review