Abstract
The relationship between gait speed and working memory is well-understood in older adults. However, it remains to be determined whether this relationship also exists in younger adults; and there is little known regarding the possible neural mechanism underlying the association between gait speed and working memory. The aims of this study are to determine if there is: (1) an association between gait speed and working memory performance; and (2) a mediating role of cerebellar subregion volume in the correlation between gait speed and working memory in healthy younger adults. 1054 younger adults (28.7 ± 3.6 years) from the Human Connectome Project were included in the analyses. A four-meter gait test was used to assess gait speed. The 2-back task was used to measure working memory performance [accuracy and response time (RT)]. T1-weighted structural MRI data (obtained using Siemens 3 T MRI scanner) was used to assess cerebellar subregion volumes. Linear regression and mediation analysis were used to examine the relationships between the variables after controlling for age, sex, and education. There was no association between gait speed and 2-back working memory performance in younger adults. Greater Crus I and whole cerebellar volumes were associated with better 2-back working memory accuracy. Greater VIIIa volume was associated with faster gait speed. Greater Crus 1 and VIIIa volumes were also associated with higher fluid cognition. The present study suggests that specific subregions of the cerebellar volumes are distinctively associated with gait speed and working memory performance in healthy younger adults.
Highlights
The relationship between gait speed and working memory is well-understood in older adults
We examined the association between bilateral thalamus volume, gait speed and working memory performance to test if the present findings are linked to the cerebellum or if they could be linked to cerebellar thalamocortical pathways that contribute to voluntary movement[38]
We found that (1) faster gait speed is associated with greater bilateral VIIb and right VIIIa volumes; (2) there were no associations between gait speed and 2-back working memory performance; (3) greater bilateral Crus I volume is associated with better 2-back working memory accuracy; (4) there were no hypothesized pathways meeting the requirements to test mediation analysis; and (5) cerebellar subregion volumes were differentially associated with gait speed and working memory such that Crus I volume was associated with working memory accuracy and right VIIIa volume was associated with gait speed
Summary
The relationship between gait speed and working memory is well-understood in older adults. The aims of this study are to determine if there is: (1) an association between gait speed and working memory performance; and (2) a mediating role of cerebellar subregion volume in the correlation between gait speed and working memory in healthy younger adults. The present study suggests that specific subregions of the cerebellar volumes are distinctively associated with gait speed and working memory performance in healthy younger adults. Since the relationship between gait speed and cognitive function has been primarily focused in geriatric and dementia studies, the evidence regarding gait speed, cognitive function, and cerebellum in younger adults is scarce. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activation within the bilateral regions lobules VI, Crus I, and VIIIa were observed during the n-back working memory t ask[30,31]
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