Cerebral White Matter and Slow Gait: Contribution of Hyperintensities and Normal-appearing Parenchyma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), a common marker of cerebral small vessel disease, and lower microstructural integrity of normal-appearing white matter are associated with slower gait. How these cerebral measures interact in relation to slower gait is unknown. We assessed whether microstructural integrity of normal-appearing white matter, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA), moderates the association of higher WMH with slower gait.

Methods

WMH, FA, and gait speed were acquired for 265 community-dwelling older adults (average age = 82.9 years).

Results

The inverse association between WMH and gait was robust to adjustment for age, gender, muscle strength, obesity, stroke, and hypertension (fully adjusted model: βs = -0.19, p = .001). The interaction be

SUBMITTER: Rosario BL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4906323 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature