for the Health ABC study 1Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine,

Background. Emerging evidence indicates an association between cognitive function and physical performance in late life. This study examines the relationship between cognitive function and subsequent gait speed decline among high-functioning older adults. Methods. Measures of global cognitive function (Modified Mini Mental State Examination [3MS]) and executive control function (ECF) (a clock drawing task [CLOX 1] and the 15-item Executive Interview [EXIT 15]) were obtained in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study in 1999–2000. Gait-speed (meters/second) was assessed over 20 meters at usual pace. Using a mixed model, we assessed the relationship between baseline cognitive function and gait-speed change over 3 years. Results. Two thousand, three hundred forty-nine older adults (mean age 75.6 6 2.9 years) completed the assessments. After adjustment for baseline gait speed, a 1-standard-deviation (SD) lower performance on each cognitive test was associated with greater gait-speed decline over 3 years: 0.016 m/s for the 3MS (SD 8.1), 0.009 m/s for CLOX 1 (S