Scientists at the Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research how the behavior and habits of people who will suffer from senile dementia in the near future may change. The experiment involved 4,026 people aged 42 to 64 years. Scientists observed them from May 2018 to July 2020. After a thorough analysis of the behavior and medical records of the subjects, the experts concluded: if a person cannot walk and simultaneously perform some kind of mental task, then his brain is in serious danger. There is a high risk that he will develop dementia in the near future.
Simple example: to your loved one no longer able to cross the road and count how much money he will spend to buy bread, milk and cheese, the price of which he knows very well. An even worse prognosis is if the person is no longer able to walk and talk at the same time.
“In middle age, a poor ability to walk and perform some other task may be an indicator of accelerated brain aging. This, in turn, is considered a clear symptom of an impending neurodegenerative disease, says lead co-author Junhong Zhou, Ph.D. Arthur Marcus.
The scientists also noted that some participants in the experiment change in gait as soon as they began to solve some arithmetic problem in their minds. This fact should also alert, the researchers are sure. Especially if such a symptom manifests itself in a person who is over 60 years old.