MRI atrophy of the caudate nucleus and slower walking speed in the elderly

Julien Dumurgier, Fabrice Crivello, Bernard Mazoyer, Ismaïl Ahmed, Béatrice Tavernier, David Grabli, Chantal François, Nathalie Tzourio-Mazoyer, Christophe Tzourio, Alexis Elbaz
NeuroImage. 2012-04-01; 60(2): 871-878
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.102

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1. Neuroimage. 2012 Apr 2;60(2):871-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.102. Epub
2012 Jan 28.

MRI atrophy of the caudate nucleus and slower walking speed in the elderly.

Dumurgier J(1), Crivello F, Mazoyer B, Ahmed I, Tavernier B, Grabli D, François
C, Tzourio-Mazoyer N, Tzourio C, Elbaz A.

Author information:
(1)INSERM, U708, Neuroepidemiology, F-75005, Paris, France.

Cerebral white matter lesions are associated with poorer motor performances in
the elderly, but the role of gray matter atrophy remains largely unknown. We
investigated the cross-sectional relation between brain regional gray matter
volumes and walking speed over 6m in the 3C-Dijon study, a large population-based
study of community-dwelling persons aged 65 years and over (N=1623). Regional
gray matter volumes were obtained using an automated anatomical labeling
parcellation method. Multivariable analyses were performed using a semi-Bayes
approach. After adjustment for potential confounders, persons who walked slower
had a smaller volume of basal ganglia (regression coefficient [β]=0.054, standard
error [SE]=0.028, p=0.05). In more detailed analyses, the volume of the caudate
nucleus had a preponderant role on this association (β=0.049, SE=0.019, p=0.009),
and walking speed decreased progressively with the volume of the caudate nucleus
(p for linear trend

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