BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Neurocognitive Aging and Behavior
Volume 17 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1624307
Hand Dexterity and Mobility Independently Predict Cognition in Older Adults: A Multi-Domain Regression Analysis
Provisionally accepted- 1Department of Neurology, HOCH Health Ostschweiz, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 2Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- 3Department of Neurology, Cantonal Hospital of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- 4Department of Medicine, Cantonal Hospital Münsterlingen, Münsterlingen, Switzerland
- 5Biomemtex Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 6Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- 7Department of Health, OST, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland
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Motor function is a sensitive indicator of cognitive aging but the unique contributions of different motor domains are unclear when assessed together.We evaluated 98 community-dwelling older adults (median age: 74). From a neuropsychological battery, a primary Global Cognitive Composite score (GCCS) and three secondary domain scores were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Motor predictors included the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT), grip strength, Apraxia Screen of TULIA (AST), SPPB sub-tests (5-chair-rises time (5CRT), 4m-walk time (4MWT), balance), and inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based gait parameters. Stepwise regression controlling for age and sex identified robust predictors of the GCCS.The final model identified several significant, independent motor predictors of the GCCS. Poorer hand dexterity (NHPT; β = -0.29, p < 0.01), slower 5CRT (β = -0.28, p < 0.01), and slower 4MWT (β = -0.17, p = 0.03) were associated with worse cognitive performance, while greater minimal toe clearance was associated with better performance (β = 0.19, p = 0.01). In contrast, grip strength, balance, usual gait speed, and measures of gait variability were not retained. The model explained 50.3% of the variance (Adjusted R²) in global cognitive performance.Hand dexterity (NHPT) and specific functional mobility tasks (5CRT, 4MWT) are robust, independent predictors of cognition in older adults. Grip strength, balance, usual gait speed, and gait variability offer limited additional value when assessed together. The NHPT and timed SPPB components are accessible, pragmatic tools for motor-cognitive research and screening.
Keywords: cognitive aging, Motor function, Multi-domain assessment, Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
Received: 07 May 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Schneider, Felbecker, von Mitzlaff, Weissofner, Meier, Eggenberger and Annaheim. 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: Simon Annaheim, Biomemtex Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St. Gallen, Switzerland
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