Ambulatory Activity Components Deteriorate Differently across Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Cross-Sectional...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Reduced ambulatory activity is a significant burden in neurodegenerative diseases (NDD).
• Objective data on walking behavior patterns and their decline with disease progression in NDDs are limited.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for managing social participation and motor function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate detailed metrics of reduced ambulatory activity in specific NDDs.
• To examine the relationship between ambulatory activity changes and disease duration.
• To test the hypothesis that reduced ambulatory activity is a shared feature across NDDs, with distinct underlying components.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 65 individuals with NDD (degenerative ataxia, progressive supranuclear palsy, Parkinson's disease) and 38 healthy older adults participated.
• Participants wore a 3-axial accelerometer (activPAL3™) for 7 consecutive days.
• Detailed ambulatory activity metrics were calculated from the accelerometer data.

Main Results:

• All three NDD groups showed significantly decreased average daily walking duration.
• Changes in the number and length of walking bouts and sit-to-stand transfers varied across NDDs.
• Walking duration decline correlated with disease duration, marked by reduced walking bout length and diversity.

Conclusions:

• Reduced ambulatory activity is a common characteristic across different NDDs.
• Specific walking behavior components change with disease duration at varying rates for each NDD.
• Ambulatory activity metrics can serve as ecologically relevant, disease-specific markers for progression and outcomes in NDDs.