Article

The ability to adapt, a form of short-term motor learning, and retain
this adaptation, is essential for rehabilitation and for day-to-day living. Yet
little research is available on this topic in persons with multiple sclerosis
(PwMS), particularly in relation to complex walking tasks. OBJECTIVE: To
determine the ability of PwMS to learn and retain a novel relationship between
visual input and motor output-or visuomotor map-during visually guided walking.
METHODS: Nineteen PwMS and 17 healthy controls performed a precision walking task
while adapting to prism lenses that altered the normal visuomotor map on 1 day,
and again after a 1-week delay. The task required individuals to walk and step
onto 2 targets without stopping. To quantify motor performance, we determined
foot placement error relative to the targets. RESULTS: PwMS with mild disability
and healthy controls attenuated foot placement error over repeated trials when
exposed to the novel mapping and demonstrated a similar rate and magnitude of
adaptation in the first learning session. Both groups equally retained the
adaptation 1 week later, reflected by reduced foot placement error and a faster
rate of error reduction in that session. CONCLUSION: PwMS can learn and retain a
novel visuomotor mapping during a precision-based walking task. This suggests
that PwMS with mild disability have the capacity for short-term motor learning
and retention, indicating that neural plasticity is preserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS