Association of the Timed Up and Go Test With Alzheimer's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Maria Fernanda Serna Orozco, Hilary Reinosa Rivera, Jennifer Jaramillo-Losada et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether Timed Up and Go (TUG) performance is associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in adults. Of 25 included studies, 15 contributed to the meta-analysis. Compared with healthy controls, participants with AD took 4.22 [95% CI 2.76-5.69 s] longer on the simple TUG test, while those with MCI took 1.83 [95% CI 1.03-2.57 s] longer. Dual-task TUG showed a stronger association with AD, with test times 12.28 [95% CI 6.56-18.0 s] longer than in cognitively normal controls.
Key findings
- Simple TUG times were 4.22 [95% CI 2.76-5.69 s] longer in participants with AD than in healthy controls.
- Participants with MCI took 1.83 [95% CI 1.03-2.57 s] longer on simple TUG than healthy controls.
- Dual-task TUG times were 12.28 [95% CI 6.56-18.0 s] longer in participants with AD than in cognitively normal controls.
Why it matters
The findings link slower mobility-test performance with cognitive impairment, suggesting that a brief functional assessment may provide information relevant to cognitive screening. The stronger association reported for dual-task TUG also indicates that performance under added cognitive demand may be informative. These results support further consideration of TUG as a potential screening aid, not as a standalone diagnostic test.
What to keep in mind
The review pooled heterogeneous studies, and only 15 of the 25 included studies contributed to the meta-analysis.