Overview
- University of Waterloo scientists reported in Gait & Posture that people with early Lewy body dementia walk more slowly, take shorter steps, and show a lower rhythm than those with early Parkinson’s disease.
- The study used a pressure-sensor walkway to compare 26 people with Parkinson’s, 20 with Lewy body dementia, and 16 healthy older adults across normal walking and two number-subtraction tasks.
- Four measures—walking speed, step length, stance time, and stride-to-stride variability—showed moderate accuracy in telling the two conditions apart.
- Adding a mental task like counting backward did not widen the gap between groups, which suggests the gait differences are stable across simple multitasking.
- The team proposes a low-cost numerical walking test as a clinic-friendly aid, noting it needs validation in larger and earlier-stage groups because treatment and care plans differ for these diagnoses.