Walking slowly ‘early sign of Alzheimer’s’
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Scientists studied 128 people with an average age of 76 who had displayed evidence of impaired memory.
Scans showed that 48 per cent of the group had a build up of beta amyloid protein fragments in their brains – one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Hide AdThese individuals were also more likely to walk at a slower speed, measured using a standard test that times how fast a person can cover 13ft at normal pace. The average walking speed was 3.48ft per second.
Lead researcher Dr Natalia del Campo, from Toulouse University Hospital in France, said: “It’s possible that having subtle walking disturbances in addition to memory concerns may signal Alzheimer’s disease, even before people show any clinical symptoms.”
The findings are published in the journal Neurology.