Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Session Title: Other
Session Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To evaluate the role of proprioceptive processing on the gait parameters of different subtypes of Parkinson’s disease.
Background: Two major subtypes are considered in PD: a tremor dominant (TD) and a postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD). Since PIGD presents as a disturbance in the striato-thalamo-cortical circuit (which is deemed to be important in sensory-perceptual processing network), it has been suggested that proprioceptive deficits may be the underlying mechanism of gait impairments in PIGD. However, this hypothesis has not been fully evaluated. Response to vibration is a simple method of disturbing proprioception.
Methods: Forty-four people (15 healthy controls (HC), 15 PIGD and 14 TD patients) were asked to walk 5m over an electronic data-collecting walkway (Zeno Walkway – ProtoKinetics®) at their self-selected pace. Participants performed the task without (NVib) and with (Vib) muscle vibration simultaneously applied on the tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and trapezius superior. These muscles were stimulated with the intention to disturb the somatosensory system during gait. Additionally, since without vision gait is relied primarily on proprioception, participants performed the task with and without visual information. We assessed gait spatiotemporal parameters.
Results: Vibration reduced the step length in both HC and TD only when they performed the task without any visual feedback. In contrast, PIGD was also affected by vibration while performing the task with eyes open. Additionally, vibration only increased the step time in PIGD. Thus, while removal of visual feedback disturbed gait in all groups (decreased step length and velocity, increased step time and variability), differences between groups (especially between HC and PIGD) were found only by manipulating visual information.
Conclusions: The results showed a greater reliance on vision during walking in PIGD. Additionally, the results highlight that proporioception may be an important underlying mechanism of gait disturbance in PIGD, since only this group was unable to properly adapt gait when receiving vibration, even when visual feedback was given.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M.P. Pereira, P.H.S. Pelicioni, Q.J. Almeida, L.T.B. Gobbi. The role of proprioceptive deficits as a mechanism of gait impairments in postural instability and gait disorder Parkinson’s disease subtype [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-role-of-proprioceptive-deficits-as-a-mechanism-of-gait-impairments-in-postural-instability-and-gait-disorder-parkinsons-disease-subtype/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-role-of-proprioceptive-deficits-as-a-mechanism-of-gait-impairments-in-postural-instability-and-gait-disorder-parkinsons-disease-subtype/