Article

Deep frontal and periventricular age related white matter changes but not basal ganglia and infratentorial hyperintensities are associated with falls: cross sectional results from the LADIS study.

Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany.
Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry (impact factor: 4.87). 03/2009; 80(6):608-13. DOI:10.1136/jnnp.2008.154633 pp.608-13
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Global age related white matter changes (ARWMC) are associated with progressive gait disturbances and falls, hypothesised to result from interruptions of cortico-subcortical circuits controlling balance, posture and locomotion.
The location of ARWMC in a large cohort of elderly non-disabled individuals with reported falls was analysed, using the cross sectional data of the Leukoaraiosis and Disability (LADIS) study. Detailed anatomical distributions of ARWMC assessed by MRI studies were analysed with respect to falls and balance performance.
The severity of global ARWMC was significantly associated with a history of falls in the year prior to study inclusion (22.2% in the mild, 31.6% in the moderate and 37.3% in the severe ARWMC group according to the Fazekas scale; p = 0.002). Analysing the anatomical distribution of ARWMC, using the semiquantitative Scheltens scale, in multivariate analysis, periventricular (p = 0.006) and frontal deep (p = 0.033) ARWMC were independently associated with falls. Furthermore, logistic regression identified frontal deep (p = 0.003) ARWMC, but not basal ganglia and infratentorial hyperintensities, as significantly associated with balance disturbances.
The association of frontal and periventricular ARWMC with falls supports the hypothesis that interruption of frontal subcortical motor circuits lead to balance disturbances and hence to an increased risk for falls in ARWMC.

0 0
 · 
0 Bookmarks
 · 
39 Views
  • Source
    Article: Executive function and falls in older adults: new findings from a five-year prospective study link fall risk to cognition.
    Anat Mirelman, Talia Herman, Marina Brozgol, Moran Dorfman, Elliot Sprecher, Avraham Schweiger, Nir Giladi, Jeffrey M Hausdorff
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Recent findings suggest that executive function (EF) plays a critical role in the regulation of gait in older adults, especially under complex and challenging conditions, and that EF deficits may, therefore, contribute to fall risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate if reduced EF is a risk factor for future falls over the course of 5 years of follow-up. Secondary objectives were to assess whether single and dual task walking abilities, an alternative window into EF, were associated with fall risk. METHODOLOGY/MAIN RESULTS: We longitudinally followed 256 community-living older adults (age: 76.4±4.5 yrs; 61% women) who were dementia free and had good mobility upon entrance into the study. At baseline, a computerized cognitive battery generated an index of EF, attention, a closely related construct, and other cognitive domains. Gait was assessed during single and dual task conditions. Falls data were collected prospectively using monthly calendars. Negative binomial regression quantified risk ratios (RR). After adjusting for age, gender and the number of falls in the year prior to the study, only the EF index (RR: .85; CI: .74-.98, p = .021), the attention index (RR: .84; CI: .75-.94, p = .002) and dual tasking gait variability (RR: 1.11; CI: 1.01-1.23; p = .027) were associated with future fall risk. Other cognitive function measures were not related to falls. Survival analyses indicated that subjects with the lowest EF scores were more likely to fall sooner and more likely to experience multiple falls during the 66 months of follow-up (p<0.02). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate that among community-living older adults, the risk of future falls was predicted by performance on EF and attention tests conducted 5 years earlier. The present results link falls among older adults to cognition, indicating that screening EF will likely enhance fall risk assessment, and that treatment of EF may reduce fall risk.
    PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(6):e40297. · 4.09 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Impact of white matter lesions on physical functioning and fall risk in older people: a systematic review.
    Jacqueline J J Zheng, Kim Delbaere, Jacqueline C T Close, Perminder S Sachdev, Stephen R Lord
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: White matter lesions (WMLs) are common findings on neuroimaging in older people. This review systematically evaluates the published literature on the associations between WMLs and balance, gait, mobility, and falls in older people. Studies were identified with searches of the MEDLINE databases. Articles reporting associations between WMLs and balance, gait, mobility, and falls in older people in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. Thirty-one articles reporting data from 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. There were consistent findings from both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies indicating greater WML volumes are associated with impaired balance, slower gait, and reduced mobility. Most studies addressing regional WML distributions have reported that WMHs in the frontal lobe and periventricular regions show the strongest relationships with balance, gait, and mobility impairments. In relation to falls, a threshold effect was apparent in that only those with severe WML volumes were found to be at increased risk of falling. The findings of this systematic review indicate that WMLs are common and are significantly associated with impaired balance, gait, mobility, and falls in older people. In many studies, however, impaired mobility and increased fall risk are only evident in people who have the most severe degree of WMLs.
    Stroke 06/2011; 42(7):2086-90. · 5.73 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

balance disturbances
 
balance performance
 
cortico-subcortical circuits
 
cross sectional data
 
Detailed anatomical distributions
 
Fazekas scale
 
frontal subcortical motor circuits lead
 
Global age
 
global ARWMC
 
increased risk
 
large cohort
 
logistic regression
 
MRI studies
 
multivariate analysis
 
periventricular ARWMC
 
progressive gait disturbances
 
semiquantitative Scheltens scale
 
severe ARWMC group
 
study inclusion
 
white matter changes
 

Christian Blahak