scholarly journals Relationship between Muscular Activity and Postural Control Changes after Proprioceptive Focal Stimulation (Equistasi®) in Middle-Moderate Parkinson’s Disease Patients: An Explorative Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 560
Author(s):  
Fabiola Spolaor ◽  
Marco Romanato ◽  
Guiotto Annamaria ◽  
Antonella Peppe ◽  
Leila Bakdounes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Muscular Activity ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Romberg Test

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Equistasi®, a wearable device, on the relationship between muscular activity and postural control changes in a sample of 25 Parkinson’s disease (PD) subjects. Gait analysis was carried out through a six-cameras stereophotogrammetric system synchronized with two force plates, an eight-channel surface electromyographic system, recording the activity of four muscles bilaterally: Rectus femoris, tibialis anterior (TA), biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL). The peak of the envelope (PoE) and its occurrence within the gait cycle (position of the peak of the envelope, PPoE) were calculated. Frequency-domain posturographic parameters were extracted while standing still on a force plate in eyes open and closed conditions for 60 s. After the treatment with Equistasi®, the mid-low (0.5–0.75) Hz and mid-high (0.75–1 Hz) components associated with the vestibular and somatosensory systems, PoE and PPoE, displayed a shift toward the values registered on the controls. Furthermore, a correlation was found between changes in proprioception (power spectrum frequencies during the Romberg Test) and the activity of GL, BF (PoE), and TA (PPoE). Results of this study could provide a quantitative estimation of the effects of a neurorehabilitation device on the peripheral and central nervous system in PD.

scholarly journals Pupillary Response to Postural Demand in Parkinson’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melike Kahya ◽  
Kelly E. Lyons ◽  
Rajesh Pahwa ◽  
Abiodun E. Akinwuntan ◽  
Jianghua He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Pupillary Response ◽  
Cognitive Workload ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Balance Task ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Post Hoc

Background: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may need to spend more mental and physical effort (i.e., cognitive workload) to maintain postural control. Pupillary response reflects cognitive workload during postural control tasks in healthy controls but has not been investigated as a measure of postural demand in PD.Objectives: To compare pupillary response during increased postural demand using vision occlusion and dual tasking between individuals with PD and healthy controls.Methods: Thirty-three individuals with PD and thirty-five healthy controls were recruited. The four conditions lasted 60 s and involved single balance task with eyes open; single balance task with eyes occluded; dual task with eyes open; dual task with eyes occluded. The dual task comprised the Auditory Stroop test. Pupillary response was recorded using an eye tracker. The balance was assessed by using a force plate. Two-way Repeated Measures ANOVA and LSD post-hoc tests were employed to compare pupillary response and Center of Pressure (CoP) displacement across the four conditions and between individuals with PD and healthy controls.Results: Pupillary response was higher in individuals with PD compared to healthy controls (p = 0.009) and increased with more challenging postural conditions in both groups (p < 0.001). The post-hoc analysis demonstrated increased pupillary response in the single balance eyes occluded (p < 0.001), dual task eyes open (p = 0.01), and dual task eyes occluded (p < 0.001) conditions compared to single task eyes open condition.Conclusion: Overall, the PD group had increased pupillary response with increased postural demand compared to the healthy controls. In the future, pupillary response can be a potential tool to understand the neurophysiological underpinnings of falls risk in the PD population.

scholarly journals Neuromechanical Assessment of Activated vs. Resting Leg Rigidity Using the Pendulum Test Is Associated With a Fall History in People With Parkinson’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Martino ◽  
J. Lucas McKay ◽  
Stewart A. Factor ◽  
Lena H. Ting
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Peak Number ◽  
Pendulum Test ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Relaxation Index

Leg rigidity is associated with frequent falls in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), suggesting a potential role in functional balance and gait impairments. Changes in the neural state due to secondary tasks, e.g., activation maneuvers, can exacerbate (or “activate”) rigidity, possibly increasing the risk of falls. However, the subjective interpretation and coarse classification of the standard clinical rigidity scale has prohibited the systematic, objective assessment of resting and activated leg rigidity. The pendulum test is an objective diagnostic method that we hypothesized would be sensitive enough to characterize resting and activated leg rigidity. We recorded kinematic data and electromyographic signals from rectus femoris and biceps femoris during the pendulum test in 15 individuals with PD, spanning a range of leg rigidity severity. From the recorded data of leg swing kinematics, we measured biomechanical outcomes including first swing excursion, first extension peak, number and duration of the oscillations, resting angle, relaxation index, maximum and minimum angular velocity. We examined associations between biomechanical outcomes and clinical leg rigidity score. We evaluated the effect of increasing rigidity through activation maneuvers on biomechanical outcomes. Finally, we assessed whether either biomechanical outcomes or changes in outcomes with activation were associated with a fall history. Our results suggest that the biomechanical assessment of the pendulum test can objectively quantify parkinsonian leg rigidity. We found that the presence of high rigidity during clinical exam significantly impacted biomechanical outcomes, i.e., first extension peak, number of oscillations, relaxation index, and maximum angular velocity. No differences in the effect of activation maneuvers between groups with clinically assessed low rigidity were observed, suggesting that activated rigidity may be independent of resting rigidity and should be scored as independent variables. Moreover, we found that fall history was more common among people whose rigidity was increased with a secondary task, as measured by biomechanical outcomes. We conclude that different mechanisms contributing to resting and activated rigidity may play an important yet unexplored functional role in balance impairments. The pendulum test may contribute to a better understanding of fundamental mechanisms underlying motor symptoms in PD, evaluating the efficacy of treatments, and predicting the risk of falls.

Changes in muscular and postural control after proprioceptive focal stimulation with Equistasi® device in middle-moderate Parkinson’s disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 350-351
Author(s):  
F. Spolaor ◽  
M. Romanato ◽  
A. Guiotto ◽  
A. Peppe ◽  
D. Volpe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Postural Control

Short-term effects of behavioral treatment on movement initiation and postural control in Parkinson's disease: A controlled clinical study

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktor Müller ◽  
Bettina Mohr ◽  
Regina Rosin ◽  
Friedemann Pulvermüller ◽  
Friedemann Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Clinical Study ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Controlled Clinical Study ◽  
Short Term Effects

scholarly journals Levodopa has primarily negative influences on postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 331 ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cédrick T. Bonnet ◽  
Arnaud Delval ◽  
Sébastien Szaffarczyk ◽  
Luc Defebvre
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Postural Control

scholarly journals Postural control learning dynamics in Parkinson’s disease: early ‎improvement with plateau in stability, and continuous progression in ‎flexibility and mobility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Rahmati ◽  
Saeed Behzadipour ◽  
Alfred C. Schouten ◽  
Ghorban Taghizadeh ◽  
Keikhosrow Firoozbakhsh
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Learning Dynamics ◽  
Early Improvement ◽  
Model Based

Abstract Background: Balance training improves postural control in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, a systematic approach for the development of individualized, optimal training programs is still lacking, as the learning dynamics of the postural control in PD, over a training program are poorly understood. Objectives: We investigated the learning dynamics of the postural control in PD, during a balance-training program, in terms of the clinical, posturographic, and novel model-based measures. Methods: Twenty patients with PD participated in a balance-training program, 3 days a week, for 6 weeks. Clinical tests assessed functional balance and mobility pre-training, mid-training, and post-training. Center-of-pressure (COP) was recorded at four time-points during the training (pre-, week 2, week 4, and post-training). COP was used to calculate the sway measures and to identify the parameters of a patient-specific postural control model, at each time-point. The posturographic and model-based measures constituted the two sets of stability- and flexibility-related measures. Results: Mobility- and flexibility-related measures showed a continuous improvement during the balance-training program. In particular, mobility improved at mid-training and continued to improve to the end of the training, whereas flexibility-related measures reached significance only at the end. The progression in the balance- and stability-related measures was characterized by early improvements over the first three to four weeks of training, and reached a plateau for the rest of the training. Conclusions: The progression in balance and postural stability is achieved earlier and susceptible to plateau out, while mobility and flexibility continues to improve during the balance training.

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