A population-based study on brain atrophy and motor performance in elderly women

Background. Brain atrophy is a common neuroimaging finding in healthy elderly individuals as well as in patients with movement-related disorders. The relationship between brain atrophy and motor changes has not been frequently reported. This study investigates this relationship. Methods. A population-based sample of women (N = 238), aged 70, 74, and 78 years, living in Goteborg, Sweden, participated in this study. Motor performance was measured by a laboratory test, the, Postural-Locomotion-Manual test, which precisely measures the subject's mobility of lower and upper extremities using an optoelectronic technique. Cortical and central atrophy were rated on computerized tomographic (CT) scans of the brain. Results. In bivariate analysis, temporal lobe atrophy, high sylvian fissure ratio, and high bicaudate ratio were correlated with impaired mobility. The association between temporal lobe atrophy and high sylvian fissure ratio and poor mobility remained after controlling for age, smoking, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and white matter lesions on CT scans. Conclusions. Our results suggest that temporal lobe atrophy, which is often seen on brain imaging in elderly persons, might be an important brain abnormality related to motor impairments in elderly women. Further studies to investigate this relationship and its underlying mechanisms are needed.