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[Evolution of locomotion disorders in Huntington's disease]

A Delval1, P Krystkowiak, J-L Blatt

  • 1Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Hôpital R-Salengro, CHRU de Lille, Lille Cedex, France. a-delval@chru-lille.fr

Neurophysiologie Clinique = Clinical Neurophysiology
|April 22, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Locomotion disorders worsen in early Huntington's disease (HD). Gait initiation and performance decline, linked to initial functional capacity and motor impairment severity in HD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Movement Disorders
  • Huntington's Disease Research

Context:

  • Locomotion disorders are a significant feature of Huntington's disease (HD).
  • The progression of gait and gait initiation issues in early-stage HD is not well understood.
  • Previous studies focused on motor, functional, or cognitive changes, leaving a gap in understanding locomotion evolution.

Purpose:

  • To quantify the rate of progression for gait and gait initiation disorders in Huntington's disease.
  • To identify factors correlating with the evolution of locomotion deficits in early HD.
  • To analyze changes in anticipatory postural adjustments (APA), gait speed, stride time, and stride length.

Summary:

  • Evaluated 18 HD patients over at least one year, assessing APA, gait speed, stride time, and stride length.
  • Observed worsening in APA, correlating with akinesia, and decreased gait speed due to increased stride time and reduced stride length.
  • Stride-to-stride variability remained stable, but gait initiation and performance deteriorated.

Impact:

  • Demonstrates a clear progression of gait and gait initiation problems in early HD.
  • Suggests that lower initial functional capacity and greater motor impairment predict faster locomotion decline in HD patients.
  • Provides crucial data for understanding disease progression and developing targeted interventions for HD-related movement disorders.
Abstract

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