Category: Allied Healthcare Professionals
Objective: The aims of this study were to assess gait analysis, neurological, neuropsychological and resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) functional connectivity (FC) characteristics in iRBD patients and to study the correlations between clinical features and RS-fMRI alterations.
Background: Clinical, gait analysis, and MRI features might predict the conversion from idiopathic REM sleep behavioral disorder (iRBD) to clinically manifested alpha-synucleinopathies.
Method: Ten patients with a polysomnography-confirmed iRBD underwent clinical, cognitive, and RS-fMRI evaluations. Gait analysis was performed using a stereophotogrammetric system to assess asymmetry of spatio-temporal gait parameters during a four-meter walking test with and without a cognitive dual-task. Ten age/sex-matched healthy controls underwent neuropsychological evaluation and RS-fMRI.
Results: IRBD patients showed mild asymmetry of spatio-temporal gait parameters, particularly during dual-task gait. IRBD patients showed an increased FC in the right executive control, sensorimotor and dorsal default mode networks compared to healthy controls. Basal ganglia and cerebellar networks showed reduced FC. Correlation analyses showed that an increased asymmetry in the lower limb swing time during gait correlated with an increased FC in the right executive control network, whereas an increased asymmetry of lower limb stride length during dual-task gait correlated with an increased FC in the sensorimotor network.
Conclusion: This study suggested that RS-fMRI and gait analysis characteristics could be promising biomarkers for early alpha-synucleinopathy detection and prediction. The collection of longitudinal data in a larger sample will allow the assessment of conversion from iRBD to parkinsonian syndromes and to test a multifactorial prediction model combining fMRI, gait analysis, clinical and neuropsychological data.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
E. Sarasso, A. Gardoni, S. Marelli, L. Zenere, A. Castelnuovo, A. Tettamanti, L. Ferini-Strambi, M. Filippi, F. Agosta. Functional MRI and gait analysis characteristics in patients with idiopathic rem sleep behavior disorder [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/functional-mri-and-gait-analysis-characteristics-in-patients-with-idiopathic-rem-sleep-behavior-disorder/. Accessed October 3, 2026.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/functional-mri-and-gait-analysis-characteristics-in-patients-with-idiopathic-rem-sleep-behavior-disorder/