Examining the intersection of cognitive and physical function measures: Results from the brain networks and mobility (B-NET) study

Atalie C Thompson; Michael E Miller; Elizabeth P Handing; Haiying Chen; Christina E Hugenschmidt; Paul J Laurienti; Stephen B Kritchevsky

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1090641

Examining the intersection of cognitive and physical function measures: Results from the brain networks and mobility (B-NET) study

Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 Feb 2:15:1090641. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1090641. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Atalie C Thompson^{1

2}, Michael E Miller^{2

3}, Elizabeth P Handing⁴, Haiying Chen⁵, Christina E Hugenschmidt², Paul J Laurienti⁶, Stephen B Kritchevsky²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgical Ophthalmology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
² Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
³ Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
⁴ Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
⁶ Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Although evidence exists that measures of mobility and cognition are correlated, it is not known to what extent they overlap, especially across various domains. This study aimed to investigate the intersection of 18 different objective cognitive and physical function measures from a sample of unimpaired adults aged 70 years and older.

Research design and methods: Canonical correlation analysis was utilized to explore the joint cross-sectional relationship between 13 cognitive and 6 physical function measures in the baseline visit of the Brain Networks and Mobility Function (B-NET) Study (n = 192).

Results: Mean age of participants was 76.4 years. Two synthetic functions were identified. Function 1 explained 26.3% of the shared variability between the cognition and physical function variables, whereas Function 2 explained 19.5%. Function 1 termed "cognitive and physical speed" related the expanded Short Physical Performance Battery (eSPPB), 400-m walk speed, and Dual Task gait speed measures of physical function to semantic fluency animals scores, Digit Symbol Coding (DSC), and Trail Making Test B. Function 2 termed "complex motor tasks and cognitive tasks" related the Force Plate Postural Sway Foam Task and Dual Task to the following cognitive variables: MoCA Adjusted Score, Verbal Fluency L words, Craft story immediate and delayed recall, and Trail Making Test B.

Discussion and implications: We identified groups of cognitive and physical functional abilities that were linked in cross-sectional analyses, which may suggest shared underlying neural network pathway(s) related to speed (Function 1) or complexity (Function 2).

Translational significance: Whether such neural processes decline before measurable functional losses or may be important targets for future interventions that aim to prevent disability also remains to be determined.

Keywords: aging; canonical correlation analysis; cognitive function; mobility; physical function.

Grants and funding

P30 AG072947/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States