The aging process reduces adaptive balance responses. Two-thirds of older adults with cognitive problems suffer at least one fall every year, a rate three times higher than that observed in older adults without dementia. This cross-sectional study aims to analyze the relationship between balance and cognitive status in adults older than 50 years.
Individuals over the age of 50, who attended a Memory Clinic, were evaluated for balance changes using stabilometry, with analysis of the center of pressure (CoP). The following CoP parameters were assessed using an S-Plate pressure platform: 1) sway length, 2) sway area, and 3) anteroposterior and laterolateral sway (width, mean deviation, and speed). The individuals were evaluated with eyes open and closed for 30 s in each test. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive status.
Eighty-seven subjects participated in the study. The average age was 67.8 years, 81.4% were female, and the average MoCA score was 19.8 points. Greater CoP oscillation was observed in the eyes closed condition, demonstrating greater postural imbalance. We found a significant and direct effect of MoCA score on the CoP area in the eyes open condition.
The results suggest that stabilometric analysis may be a predictor of cognitive function.
Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
About The Expert
Anna Quialheiro
Thaynara Maestri
Thiane Aparecida Zimermann
Rozelaine Maria da Silva Ziemann
Michelli Vitória Silvestre
Júlia Maria Batista Maio
André Junqueira Xavier
Philippe Villeneuve
Afonso Shiguemi Inoue Salgado
Frederic Jean Francois Viseux
Daniel Fernandes Martins
References
PubMed