Dual Task Performance Is Associated with Amyloidosis in Cognitively Healthy Adults

Background Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) provides an opportunity for the study and implementation of interventions and strategies aimed at delaying, mitigating, and preventing AD. While this preclinical state is an ideal target, it is difficult to identify efficiently and cost-effectively. Recent findings have suggested that cognitive-motor dual task paradigms may provide additional inference. Objectives Investigate the relationship between dual task performance and amyloidosis, suggestive of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and whether dual task performance provides additional information beyond a cognitive composite, to help in the identification of amyloidosis. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Outpatient specialty brain health clinical research institution in the United States. Participants 52 cognitively healthy adults. Measurements The data included demographics, amyloid standardized uptake value ratio obtained via florbetapir-PET, neuropsychological testing, apolipoprotien E genotype, and dual task performance measures. Data were analyzed via hierarchal multiple linear regression or logistic regression, controlling for age, education, and apolipoprotien E genotype. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted, and sensitivity and specificity calculated via 2×2 contingency tables. Results There was a moderate relationship (rs>.30) between motor and cognitive dual task effects and amyloid standardized uptake value ratio (ps