Takeaway
Slower choice reaction times may be an early marker of accelerated mobility decline in middle-aged adults.
Why this matters
Although the link between cognitive and motor function in aging is well known, the question of whether slower motor response time to cognitive stimuli predicts faster mobility decline is unclear. These important findings, obtained in a large middle-aged population, suggest that early cognitive interventions, such as training, could help to prevent accelerated mobility decline and premature loss of independence.