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Regional associations of cortical thickness with gait variability - The Tasmanian Study of Cognition and Gait
Method: Participants (n = 350, mean age 71.9 ± 7.1) were randomly selected from the electoral roll. Variability in step time, step length, step width, and double support time (DST) were calculated as the standard deviation of each measure, obtained from the GAITRite walkway. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were processed through FreeSurfer to obtain cortical thickness of 68 regions. Bayesian regression was used to determine regional associations of mean cortical thickness and thickness ratio (regional thickness/overall mean thickness) with gait variability.
Results: Smaller global cortical thickness was only associated with greater step width and step time variability. Smaller mean thickness in widespread regions important for sensory, cognitive, and motor functions were associated with greater step width and step time variability. In contrast, smaller thickness in a few frontal and temporal regions were associated with DST variability and the right cuneus was associated with step length variability. Smaller thickness ratio in frontal and temporal regions important for motor planning, execution, and sensory function and greater thickness ratio in the anterior cingulate was associated with greater variability in all measures.
Conclusions: Examining individual cortical regions is important in understanding the relationship between gray matter and gait variability. Cortical thickness ratio highlights that smaller regional thickness relative to global thickness may be important for the consistency of gait.
Funding
National Health & Medical Research Council
History
Publication title
Journals of Gerontology. Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical SciencesVolume
75Issue
8Pagination
1537-1544ISSN
1079-5006Department/School
Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchPublisher
Gerontological Society AmerPlace of publication
1275 K Street Nw Suite 350, Washington, USA, Dc, 20005-4006Rights statement
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.Repository Status
- Restricted