Cognitive Motor Dual Task Costs in Older Adults with Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to characterize Cognitive Motor Dual Task (CMDT) costs for a community-based sample of older adults with Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome (MCR), as well as investigate associations between CMDT costs and cognitive performance. Twenty-five community-dwelling older adults (ages 60-89 years) with MCR performed single and dual task complex walking scenarios, as well as a computerized cognitive testing battery. Participants with lower CMDT costs had higher scores on composite measures of Working Memory, Processing Speed, and Shifting, as well as an overall cognitive composite measure. In addition, participants with faster single task gait velocity had higher scores on composite measures of Working Memory, Processing Speed, and overall cognition. Taken together, these results suggest that CMDT paradigms can help to elucidate the interplay between cognitive and motor abilities for older adults with MCR.