TY  - JOUR
AU  - Labott, Berit K
AU  - Herold, Fabian
AU  - Langhans, Corinna
AU  - Halfpaap, Nicole
AU  - Grässler, Bernhard
AU  - Hökelmann, Anita
AU  - Müller, Notger G
AU  - Hamacher, Daniel
TI  - Minimum toe clearance variability in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: Differences to healthy controls and effects of a dance intervention.
JO  - Gait & posture
VL  - 121
SN  - 0966-6362
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
PB  - Elsevier Science
M1  - DZNE-2025-00854
SP  - 101 - 107
PY  - 2025
AB  - Falls in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are a major health issue. For healthy individuals, higher variability in minimum toe clearance (MTC) during gait is associated with the risk of tripping-related falls and dance intervention reduces MTC variability. Such empirical evidence is lacking for individuals with MCI.We aimed to assess differences in MTC variability between healthy older adults and older adults with MCI. Furthermore, we analysed the effects of a six-month dance intervention on MTC variability in older adults with MCI.We recruited community-dwelling cognitively healthy control participants (n = 34) and participants with MCI (n = 55). All participants underwent gait assessment using inertial sensors. In a cohort study, MTC variability of healthy vs. MCI participants was compared using Welch's t-test. There were no significant differences in the participant's characteristics except for cognitive performance. In a randomised controlled trial, participants with MCI were randomly allocated to either an intervention (IG, n = 27) or a passive control group (CG, n = 28). IG was required to attend a twice-weekly 90-minute dance program for six months. After six months, the gait assessment was repeated in both groups of MCI participants, and the effect of the dance intervention on MTC variability was assessed using 2-level random intercept models. Additionally, the mean MTC was analysed in a secondary analysis.Adults with MCI exhibited a significantly higher MTC variability compared to healthy adults (p = .016, d = 0.53), but no difference was found in the mean MTC (p = .980, d < 0.01). The dance intervention did not improve either MTC variability (p = .182) or mean MTC (p = .742).The higher MTC variability in older adults with MCI compared to healthy controls may contribute to their higher fall risk. Future studies should investigate the effects of an individually tailored dance intervention, and other intervention approaches on MTC variability and fall risk.
KW  - Humans
KW  - Cognitive Dysfunction: physiopathology
KW  - Cognitive Dysfunction: rehabilitation
KW  - Aged
KW  - Male
KW  - Female
KW  - Dance Therapy: methods
KW  - Toes: physiopathology
KW  - Toes: physiology
KW  - Gait: physiology
KW  - Accidental Falls: prevention & control
KW  - Case-Control Studies
KW  - Aged, 80 and over
KW  - Dancing: physiology
KW  - Postural Balance: physiology
KW  - Geriatrics (Other)
KW  - Inertial sensor (Other)
KW  - Locomotion (Other)
KW  - Minimum foot clearance (Other)
KW  - Minor neurocognitive disorder (Other)
KW  - Primary prevention (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:40339306
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.04.033
UR  - https://pub.dzne.de/record/279887
ER  -