Peak step rates were lower in symptom-free mutation carriers
In a 28-day Fitbit study, 56 symptom-free people with a disease-linked gene expansion had lower peak step rates than 160 people without the mutation.
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Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 226 people in an observational study, 56 carried a disease-linked expansion in the C9orf72 gene but had no symptoms, 10 had symptoms and 160 did not carry the mutation. An expansion is an unusually long repeated stretch of DNA. Participants wore a Fitbit device for 28 days.
After accounting for age, both carrier groups had lower average peak step rates over one-minute and 30-minute periods than controls. Both groups also varied less in their daily step counts and had more consistent activity patterns from day to day. Daily step counts were lower in both groups, but only the difference in people with symptoms was statistically significant. The authors suggested that lower peak step rates before symptoms may reflect early movement difficulties or behavioral changes, such as apathy.
Why it matters
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects movement, while frontotemporal dementia affects behavior and thinking. The authors identified the activity measures as candidate markers of changes before symptoms, with potential use in future clinical trials.
Caveats
The 28-day comparison cannot show whether these activity measures predict which carriers will develop symptoms or when.
The paper
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration, Nov 13, 2026
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