Memory and mobility followed varied paths in older adults
Memory and mobility declined together in 12.9% of Chinese participants and 14.9% of US participants aged 60 or older.
Paper by Ying Liu, Tao Sun, Shao Yin et al.
8,407 participants
Limit: Mobility difficulties were self-reported, leaving trajectories vulnerable to reporting bias
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In this longitudinal observational study, researchers analyzed 4,360 Chinese and 8,407 US adults aged 60 or older at baseline. They used four survey waves covering 2011–2018 in China and 2012–2018 in the US. Participants had at least three valid measurements of episodic memory—the ability to remember events—and self-reported difficulty moving around.
Statistical models identified four patterns in each cohort. Memory and mobility declined together in some groups but followed different courses in others. In China, 42.8% had declining memory with low levels of mobility difficulty. In the US, 17.7% reported decreasing mobility difficulty alongside declining memory. Another pattern—declining memory with high mobility difficulty—accounted for 16.0% of Chinese participants and 15.0% of US participants. Depressive symptoms and arthritis were associated with unfavorable patterns in both cohorts.
Why it matters
Assessing memory and mobility together may offer a fuller picture of functional aging than tracking either alone.
Caveats
This observational study identified associations, not causes, and mobility difficulties were self-reported. The findings concern adults aged 60 or older with at least three valid measurements of both memory and mobility difficulties.
The paper
Ying Liu, Tao Sun, Shao Yin et al.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Oct 31, 2026, CC BY, Accepted, not yet published
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