The world population ages and with aging increases the prevalence of people who suffer some type of cognitive deterioration beyond what is properly expected for the full years. Faced with this situation, we must put the batteries in and do everything possible to take care of the brain so that it lasts us healthy, or at least, try to get the most out of it whatever the circumstance that the future holds.
In this sense, one of the most interesting questions is to be able to differentiate well who has age-specific cognitive impairment from that who has mild cognitive impairment. Two French researchers have found that performing a complex mental task while walking could be a good test for that early detection.
The experiment, published in Clinical Interventions in Aging, involved healthy young and old people, as well as people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Assessments of different mental capacities were carried out and a test known as the trail test, modified for its application through walking, was also passed.
This test is carried out on a black mat on which various numbers and letters are written in white. The individual must step on a number with one foot and a letter with another, the first from least to greatest and the second, in alphabetical order. So it would be with the right foot 1, with the left A, with the right 2, with the other B, etc. while other numbers that act as distractors are being ignored.
The test triggers a cognitive aspect called mental flexibility, which is affected in people with mild cognitive impairment. The results showed that the walking trails test allowed to detect those participants with slight ‘borderline’ cognitive impairment , specifically with regard to their executive functions. Detecting something so early is important because these people could exercise their mental functions to keep them working for longer.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
