Characterizing Exceptional Gait Speed in Late Life:  The Super Mover Phenotype Among Adults 80+ in Colombia

 Introduction

Healthy aging involves preservation of physical and cognitive function, with gait speed (GS) serving as a marker of neurocognitive complexity. Motoric cognitive risk syndrome identifies slow gait as an early marker of cognitive decline. The potential for fast gait speed as a marker of resilience remains underexplored. The Super Mover (SM) phenotype is a novel term described for the first time in 2025, defined as individuals aged 80 and older with GS of ≥ 1.5 standard deviations above sex-adjusted cut scores .

Objective

To identify and characterize the SM phenotype in a Colombian sample, comparing their sociodemographic profile and cognitive performance withNormal Movers (NM). To examine whether there is a relationship between exceptional physical performance and better cognitive function.

Methods

A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted with 50 participants from the Grupo de Neurociencias de Antioquia. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥80 years and availability of motor and neuropsychological assessments. They were classified as SM if their GS exceeded 1.5 SD above age - and sex - specific colombian means. Cut-offs were set at GS ≥ 0.805 m/s for women and ≥0.975 m/s for men;participants below these were classified as NM. Assessment included handgrip strength, functional independence, and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses were performed using R.

Results

1. Sociodemographic Profiles: Of the 50 participants, 22 (44%) met the criteria for the SM phenotype (Figure 1A). Individuals in the SM group were younger than those in the NM group, and had fewer years of formal education (Table 1).

2. Physical and Functional Assessment: SM group demonstrated markedly greater muscle strength (Figure 1B). Lawton IADL scale revealed a trend toward higher instrumental independence in the SM group. FAST scale didn't show any statistically significant differences (Table 1).