Noisy interlimb coordination can be a main cause of freezing of gait in patients with little to no parkinsonism.

ABSTRACT: Freezing of gait in patients with Parkinson's disease is associated with several factors, including interlimb incoordination and impaired gait cycle regulation. Gait analysis in patients with Parkinson's disease is confounded by parkinsonian symptoms such as rigidity. To understand the mechanisms underlying freezing of gait, we compared gait patterns during straight walking between 9 patients with freezing of gait but little to no parkinsonism (freezing patients) and 11 patients with Parkinson's disease (non-freezing patients). Wireless sensors were used to detect foot contact and toe-off events, and the step phase of each foot contact was calculated by defining one stride cycle of the other leg as 360°. Phase-resetting analysis was performed, whereby the relation between the step phase of

SUBMITTER: Tanahashi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3877290 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature