Article

Gait initiation is a transitional task involving a voluntary shift from a static,
stable position to a relatively less-stable state of locomotion. During gait
initiation, anticipatory postural adjustments precede stepping in order to
generate forward momentum while balance is maintained. While deficits in gait
initiation are frequently reported for persons with Parkinson's disease, there is
a paucity of information regarding gait initiation performance in persons with
Essential Tremor. We investigated anticipatory postural adjustments and
spatiotemporal characteristics of gait initiation in persons with Essential
Tremor and compared them to persons with Parkinson's disease as well as
age-matched neurologically healthy adults. Twenty-four persons with Essential
Tremor, 31 persons with Parkinson's disease, and 38 age-matched controls
participated. We compared anterior-posterior and mediolateral center of pressure
movements and spatiotemporal stepping characteristics during gait initiation
among the three groups using Mann-Whitney U-tests with Bonferroni corrections for
multiple comparisons and one-way ANOVAs. Persons with Parkinson's disease
demonstrated significantly reduced displacement and velocity of the center of
pressure during early phases of anticipatory postural adjustments relative to
controls. Displacement of the center of pressure was also reduced in persons with
Essential Tremor, although at a later stage of the gait initiation process.
Persons with Parkinson's disease and Essential Tremor demonstrated similar
reductions in step length during gait initiation when compared to controls.
Persons with Parkinson's disease and Essential Tremor exhibit different deficits
in gait initiation when compared to healthy older adults. Therefore, this study
provides further evidence differentiating motor control features in these
movement disorders.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS