Characterising real-world macro walking outcomes of people with Posterior Cortical Atrophy using accelerometery - Feasibility and preliminary comparison with Alzheimer’s and Lewy body disease

Q: What was the main aim of the study?

To assess the feasibility of accelerometery-based real-world walking assessment for PCA and to describe differences between PCA and AD/LBD.

Q: How was real-world walking measured?

Fourteen participants with PCA wore a lower-back accelerometer (AX6, Axivity) for up to seven days, and validated algorithms derived walking quality, volume, pattern, and variability measures.

Q: What did the preliminary findings suggest?

Most PCA participants completed the recommended assessment period, supporting feasibility. PCA macro walking behaviours were reported as more similar to AD than to LBD, with no significant differences for pattern and variability outcomes.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a dementia subgroup often misdiagnosed due to atypical presentation and limited clinical awareness. Building on the GaitDem study, this poster presentation evaluates the feasibility of accelerometery-based real-world walking assessment in PCA and contrasts walking quality, volume, pattern, and variability with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Lewy body disease (LBD). Fourteen PCA participants wore a lower-back accelerometer for up to seven days, compared with AD, LBD, and controls. Twelve completed the full protocol, indicating feasibility, with PCA macro walking most similar to AD.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

DOI: 10. 1002/alz70856_104769 BIOMARKERS POSTER PRESENTATION BIOMARKERS (NON-NEUROIMAGING) Characterising real-world macro walking outcomes of people with Posterior Cortical Atrophy using accelerometery: Feasibility and preliminary comparison with Alzheimer’s and Lewy body disease Ríona Mc Ardle1, 2 Diego Kaski6, 7 Lynn Rochester 11 Cameron Kirk3 Silvia Del Din2, 4 Yuhan Bai5 Jonathan D. Rohrer8 Brook Galna9 Alan J Thomas 10 Matthew J Bancroft6 Keir XX Yong 12 1 NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom 2Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom 3 Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom 4 National Institute for Health and Care Research, Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom 5 University College London, London, United Kingdom 6 Centre for Vestibular and Behavioural Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom 7 Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK, London, United Kingdom 8 Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, -, United Kingdom 9 Centre for Healthy Ageing, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Perth, Western Australia, Australia 10 Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, United Kingdom 11 Newcastle University, Translational And Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Abstract Background: Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a dementia subgroup commonly misdiagnosed due to unusual presentation and limited clinical awareness. Previously, the GaitDem study provided proof-of-concept for the use of accelerometery-based walking assessment in clinical and real-world settings in supporting differentiation Lewy body disease(LBD)andAlzheimer’s disease(AD). Real-worldwalking assessment also provides insights into the impact of disease on everyday behaviours. Here, we aimed to assess the feasibility of accelerometery-based real-world walking assessment of PCA and describe differences between PCA and more prevalent neurodegenerative dementia syndromes, AD and LBD. Methods: Fourteen participants with PCA (Age: 71 years(56-78); 57% female) wore an accelerometer (AX6, Axivity) affixed to their lower back for up to seven days. Using validated algorithms, real-world walking outcomes were derived including measures of walking quality (step velocity), volume (minutes spent walking, steps per day, bouts per day), pattern (mean bout duration) and variability (of bout durations). Data was compared to the GaitDem cohort, which included 36 people with AD (Age: 77 years(67-88); 58% female) and 46 with LBD (Age: 77 years(65-91); 17% female), following a similar protocol. Kruskal-Wallis Test assessed between-group differences with post-hoc Dunn tests. 26 controls (Age: 74(60-89), 58% female) were included for visual comparison (Figure 1). Results: Twelve PCA participants completed seven days of real-world walking assessment; two completed 5-6 days. The PCA group walked faster, spent more minutes walking, took more steps and walking bouts per day (p <0.01 for all) than the This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2025 The Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2025;21(Suppl. 2):e104769. [https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_104769](https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_104769) wi[leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz](leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz) 1of2 12 Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom Cor

FAQs

What was the main aim of the study?

To assess the feasibility of accelerometery-based real-world walking assessment for PCA and to describe differences between PCA and AD/LBD.

How was real-world walking measured?

Fourteen participants with PCA wore a lower-back accelerometer (AX6, Axivity) for up to seven days, and validated algorithms derived walking quality, volume, pattern, and variability measures.

What did the preliminary findings suggest?

Most PCA participants completed the recommended assessment period, supporting feasibility. PCA macro walking behaviours were reported as more similar to AD than to LBD, with no significant differences for pattern and variability outcomes.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai