Human study · Aging · 10 Nov 2026
In 5,794 adults in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, each extra year of gait age lined up with a 7 percent higher yearly chance of later cognitive impairment
Source: Neurology
What the research found
Neurology published a cohort analysis online on 10 November 2026. The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging contributed 19,637 walk trials from 5,794 adults in Olmsted County, Minnesota, recruited from 2007 to 2025, with no known gait disorder. 49 percent were female. Mean age was 78 years (standard deviation 8). A model estimated gait age from the walk. The gait age gap was gait age minus chronological age. Stability measures drove gait age. A larger gap lined up with worse cognitive and functional status. In follow-up, each year that gait age sat above chronological age was tied to a 7 percent higher yearly chance of moving from normal cognition to cognitive impairment. The gap separated normal cognition from impairment better than baseline velocity. Print issue date is listed as 8 December 2026. One region. DOI 10.1212/WNL.0000000000218766. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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