A new study shows age-related changes to white matter which are common in old people's brain affects how well they are able to move around and keep their balance, media reported Wednesday.

Compared to those with mild changes, people with severe changes were twice as likely to score poorly on the walking and balance tests and twice as likely to have a history of falls. Participants with moderate changes were 1.5 times more likely than those with mild changes to have a history of falls.

"Walking difficulties and falls are major symptoms of people with white matter changes and a significant cause of illness and death in the elderly," said Dr. Hansjoerg Baezner, of the University of Heidelberg in Mannheim, Germany.

"Exercise may have the potential to reduce the risk of these problems, since exercise is associated with improved walking and balance. We'll be testing whether exercise has such as protective effect in our long-term study of this group," said Baezner, who noted that mobility problems in older people often lead to hospitalization and nursing-home placement.

Monitoring white matter changes may assist early identification of walking problems, which have been linked to other health issues.

"Recently, gait abnormalities have been shown to predict non-Alzheimer's disease dementia, so recognition, early diagnosis and treatment of this disabling condition may be possible through early detection of walking and balance problems," Baezner said.

The causes of white matter changes and the reasons why it's worse in some people aren't fully understood. However, researchers have found evidence of a link to insufficiently treated high blood pressure.

(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency March 19,2008)