ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
Volume 17 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1549764
Impact of Cognitive Decline on the Physical Functioning of Older Adults in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
Andréa Kruger Gonçalves1
Valeria Feijo Martins1
Ana Carolina Kanitz1
Flávia Gomes Martinez1Leonardo Alexandre Peyré-Tartaruga2
Raphael Machado Castilhos3
Aline Nogueira Haas1,4*- 1Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- 2University of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
- 3Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 4Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Introduction: Reduced physical function has been linked to cognitive decline, yet this relationship remains understudied in the older Brazilian population. This study evaluates the impact of cognitive decline on physical functioning in older adults in Southern Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with community-dwelling older adults (n=336), categorized as cognitively unimpaired (CU, n=181), mild cognitive impairment range (MCI-range, n=105), or dementia-range (n=50) based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment cutoff points adapted for the Brazilian population. Physical function was assessed using tests for balance, strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni tests. Results: Most physical function variables worsened as cognitive impairment increased. The CU group performed significantly better than the MCI-and dementia-range groups in dynamic and static balance, upperbody strength (η²=0.09), upper-and lower-body flexibility (η²=0.07, η²=0.08), and aerobic endurance (η²=0.11) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive status influences physical function in older adults. Identifying physical indicators linked to cognitive decline may improve screening efforts in clinical trials.
Keywords: Physical function1, Cognitive Status2, aging3, dementia4, physical activity5
Received: 21 Dec 2024; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gonçalves, Martins, Kanitz, Martinez, Peyré-Tartaruga, Castilhos and Nogueira Haas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aline Nogueira Haas, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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