If you can't 'walk and chew gum at the same time,' you could be at risk for dementia: researcher
Researchers in London have received $1.345 million to further study mobility and dementia
The old idiom that says a person "can't walk and chew gum at the same time" to mean that they aren't very sharp may have something to it, a London researcher says.
A team of researchers with the Lawson Health Research Institute has been conducting initial research into the relationship between a person's gait and their dementia risk.
Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso, who leads the team, said he asks patients to do a "dual gait test," which involves walking and talking at the same time, or walking while doing mental arithmetic.
Although it's normal to slow down slightly while doing these tasks, Dr. Montero-Odasso said those who slow their pace by more than 30 per cent are at a higher risk for later dementia.
"[The idiom] is very interesting because this is popular knowledge and popular knowledge is quite important," said Dr. Montero-Odasso, who is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Western University.
"People realize if you walk and talk at the same time, and you need to slow down a lot to talk, there's something not as good in your brain [as] other people who can do the two activities at the same time."
Gait test can prevent more invasive screening
Right now, Dr. Montero-Odasso said patients who go to a memory clinic for cognitive problems may receive a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Of those patients, around 70 per cent will go on to have dementia, while the other 30 per cent won't.
Problem is, it can be difficult for a clinician to predict who will get dementia and who won't. Making an accurate prediction usually involves invasive testing, such as an MRI or a spinal tap, Dr. Montero-Odasso said.
"We want to use [the gait test] to detect people at risk, and that will help us to determine who will benefit importantly from more invasive tests that we don't want to do on the patients," he said.
The gait test should also help doctors identify the patients who will benefit the most from clinical trials for dementia treatment, and filter out those who aren't really at risk, Dr. Montero-Odasso said.
Best exercise for dementia
Dr. Montero-Odasso's team has received $1.345 million through the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) to push forward with their research into the relationship between mobility and dementia.
Most of that cash will go toward a study into the best combination of physical exercise, mental exercises and vitamin D supplementation to improve cognition in people with MCI.
Evidence has shown that exercise is good for the brain as well as the heart, but researchers still don't know what kind of exercise is best, and what dosage is necessary, Dr. Montero-Odasso said.
"Is it walking and swimming? Is it the same doing resistance training with weights, or aerobic training on a treadmill? Should we do it two times a week, three times a week? Should we do it for half an hour, one hour?" he said.
"We don't know that yet."
So far, around 130 patients have already been recruited for the study, but Dr. Montero-Odasso needs 60 more.
If his initial results are confirmed, Dr. Montero-Odasso said he hopes to create a set of guidelines for primary care physicians about how to prescribe cognitive and physical exercises for people at risk for dementia.
Those interested in the study can get involved by contacting the Lawson Health Research Institute, the institute said.