Human study · Aging · 9 Nov 2026
In 4,822 Korean adults, a lower gait score lined up with later dementia at age 65, and the link faded by the mid-80s
Source: Neurology
What the research found
Neurology published a prospective cohort on 9 November 2026. Youjung Choi, Jiyoung Jeong, and colleagues used the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia. Of 6,818 eligible people, 4,822 were analyzed. Mean age was 69.6 years (standard deviation 6.3). 2,719 (56.4 percent) were women. Median follow-up was 6.2 years (interquartile range 3.8 to 8.1). 251 developed dementia and 458 died. Gait was scored with the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment. The gait-dementia curve was nonlinear (p = 0.002), rising as scores left the ceiling and peaking near 9 to 10, where the estimates got imprecise. Age changed the association (interaction p < 0.001). A gait score of 11 versus 12 had a hazard ratio of 3.13 (95 percent CI 1.82 to 5.37) at age 65, 1.36 (0.98 to 1.87) at age 75, and 0.59 (0.37 to 0.94) at age 85. The curves crossed at an estimated 78.6 years. Balance did not show the same age pattern. The cohort was ethnically narrow. DOI 10.1212/WNL.0000000000218711. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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