In Parkinson's disease, dual-tasking reduces gait smoothness during the straight-walking and turning-while-walking phases of the Timed Up and Go test.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dual-task walking is used as a treatment, for gait assessment, and as an outcome measure in Parkinson's disease (PD). Movement smoothness, i.e. its non-intermittency, is a movement cardinal feature. This study assesses whether dual-tasking reduces gait smoothness in PD alongside reducing speed, one of its well-known effects.

Methods

The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, instrumented with an inertial sensor fixed to the back, was administered to 33 PD patients (15 females; age: median = 71 years; IQR = 10) to assess two walking types: straight-walking and turning-while-walking. The TUG test was completed in single-task and two dual-task modalities: cognitive (doing successive subtractions) and motor (holding a water glass). The angular speed spectral arc length metric (S

SUBMITTER: Caronni A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887220 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature