Dual cognitive and mobility impairments and future dementia - Setting a research agenda

Dual cognitive and mobility impairments are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Recent studies examining temporal trajectories of mobility and cognitive function in aging found that dual decline is associated with higher dementia risk than memory decline or gait decline only. Although initial data show that individuals with dual decline or impairment have excessive cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, the causes of dual decline or what underlies dual decline with a high risk of dementia remain largely unknown. In December 2021, the National Institute on Aging Intramural and Extramural Programs jointly organized a workshop on Biology Underlying Moving and Thinking to explore the hypothesis that older persons with dual decline may develop dementia through a specific pathophysiological pathway. The working group discussed assessment methods for dual decline and possible mechanisms connecting dual decline with dementia risk and pinpointed the most critical questions to be addressed from a translational perspective.