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Abstract
Introduction: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) face a significant risk of neurodegeneration, and gait variability may serve as a clinical biomarker of neurological health. This longitudinal parent substudy aimed to explore relationships between gait, white matter (WM) integrity, and cognitive function in DS.
Methods: The associations were investigated between magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), cognition, and self-paced gait data from 22 DS participants (mean age ± SD 37 ± 7.5 years).
Results: DTI measures, such as lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean diffusivity, were correlated with greater step time variability but not normalized velocities. Lower cognitive scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Composite, Dementia Questionnaire for People with Learning Disabilities, and Motor Skill subscale were correlated with FA.
Discussion: Gait variability correlates with WM integrity and cognitive function in DS, suggesting that gait and DTI measures may serve as clinical markers of neurological decline.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70407
Funding Information
NIH, Grant/Award Number: R01-HD064993; National Institute on Aging, Grant/Award Number: U19 AG068054
Repository Citation
Leach, Elizabeth M.; Powell, David K.; Glueck, Amanda C.; Head, Elizabeth; Ibrahim, Moaz W.; Anderson-Mooney, Amelia J.; Van Pelt, Kathryn L.; Harp, Jordan P.; Schmitt, Frederick A.; and Bahrani, Ahmed A., "Gait variability as a marker of white matter integrity in individuals with Down syndrome" (2025). Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications. 215.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/sbcoa_facpub/215
Notes/Citation Information
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2025 The Author(s). Alzheimer’s & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer’s Association.