Title
Motor blocks during bilateral stepping in Parkinson's disease and effects of dopaminergic medication
Date Issued
01 April 2021
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Baarbé J.
Brown M.J.N.
Saha U.
Fasano A.
Hutchison W.D.
Chen R.
University of Rochester
Abstract
Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a complex symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) that manifests during walking as limited forward progression despite the intention to walk. It is unclear if lower limb motor blocks (LLMB) that occur independently from FOG are related to overground FOG and the effects of dopaminergic medications. Methods: Nineteen patients with PD were tested on two separate days in the dopaminergic medication “on” and “off” states. The patients completed a series of freezing-provoking tasks while videotaped. Raters assessed videos for FOG presence using Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale item 3.11 score greater than or equal to 1 and FOG severity using the standardized FOG score. Whilst seated in a virtual environment, patients and 20 healthy controls stepped in right-left sequence on foot pedals. Frequency and percent time in LLMB were assessed for accurate classification of FOG presence and correlation to the FOG score. Results: Frequency and percent time spent in LLMB predicted the presence of FOG in both medication states. Percent time spent in LLMB correlated with FOG severity in both medication states. LLMB frequency predicted FOG severity in the “off” state only. Conclusions: LLMB during bilateral stepping in a virtual environment predicted the presence and severity of FOG in PD in both “on” and “off” medication states. These findings support the use of this non-walking paradigm to detect and assess FOG in PD patients unable or unsafe to walk.
Start page
1
End page
4
Volume
85
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Neurología clínica Química medicinal
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85101178491
PubMed ID
Source
Parkinsonism and Related Disorders
ISSN of the container
13538020
Source funding
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus