Cervical dystonia patients display subclinical gait changes

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Movement Disorders
• Gait Analysis

Background:

• Gait disturbances are noted in cervical dystonia (CD), particularly in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) or with severe spinal deformities.
• This study focuses on CD patients without prior DBS or scoliosis to isolate gait alterations specific to the condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the walking motor patterns in cervical dystonia patients who have not undergone DBS and do not present with scoliosis.
• To identify specific gait abnormalities associated with CD in a non-advanced stage.

Main Methods:

• Utilized computerized gait analysis (CGA) to assess spatiotemporal (ST) parameters in CD patients and healthy controls (HC).
• Compared gait parameters before and after botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections in CD patients.
• Correlated ST parameters with clinical features, including the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS).

Main Results:

• CD patients showed significantly reduced velocity, stride length, swing phase percentage, and dynamic stability index.
• Increased stride and swing time were observed in CD patients compared to HC.
• No significant impact of BoNT on gait parameters was detected; a correlation between higher TWSTRS scores and shorter stride length was found.

Conclusions:

• Cervical dystonia patients may exhibit subclinical gait slowness and alterations.
• The observed gait changes could be an endophenotypic characteristic of cervical dystonia.
• Further research is warranted to understand the long-term implications of these gait alterations.