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Impairments in Spatiotemporal Gait Adaptation During Obstacle Navigation in Huntington's Disease
Naznine Anwar1, Izelle Labuschagne1,2, Katrina Simpson1
11 Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Individuals with symptomatic Huntington's disease (symp-HD) exhibit altered gait when navigating obstacles, indicating a higher fall risk. These gait changes correlate with clinical balance assessments, aiding fall prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Navigating obstacles during walking may indicate poorer balance and increased fall risk in symptomatic Huntington's disease (symp-HD).
- This specific aspect of gait and balance in symp-HD has not been previously explored in research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate adaptive gait patterns during obstacle navigation in symp-HD.
- To identify spatiotemporal gait characteristics linked to diminished balance and elevated fall risk in symp-HD.
Main Methods:
- A unique obstacle navigation experiment was conducted with 16 symp-HD participants and 16 healthy controls.
- Gait was assessed during baseline walking and obstacle navigation (1 or 2 obstacles), analyzing approach, navigation, and recovery phases.
- Gait variables were correlated with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests.
Main Results:
- Symp-HD participants showed poorer baseline gait compared to controls.
- During obstacle navigation, symp-HD participants reduced step length and increased step time.
- Gait variables during obstacle negotiation significantly correlated with BBS and TUG scores, known fall risk indicators.
Conclusions:
- Obstacle navigation reveals gait impairments associated with fall risk in symp-HD.
- Findings can inform targeted clinical strategies for fall risk management in Huntington's disease patients.
Background:
Navigating obstacles whilst walking might be associated with poorer balance and a higher risk of falling in individuals with symptomatic Huntington's disease (symp-HD). However, this issue has not been investigated within the literature.
Objective:
A unique obstacle navigation experiment was designed to examine adaptive gait patterns in order to identify spatiotemporal gait characteristics that might be associated with poorer balance and a higher risk of falling in symp-HD.
Method:
Sixteen diagnosed symp-HD participants and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Gait was examined in 3 experimental conditions: baseline walking, walking while navigating around 1 obstacle, and walking while navigating around 2 obstacles. Navigation around obstacle walks was divided into three step phases (approach, navigation, recovery). Group differences in gait variables were analyzed at baseline and during walking for each obstacle condition respectively. Gait variables were also correlated with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.
Results:
Symp-HD participants, compared with controls, performed significantly poorer on most gait variables during baseline walking. Symp-HD participants significantly decreased their step-length while navigating around 1 obstacle, and increased their step-time while navigating around 1 and 2 obstacles. There were no significant group differences in step-width. Variables associated with navigating around obstacles correlated significantly with BBS and TUG clinical tools, which have been associated in the literature with an increased risk of falling in symp-HD.
Conclusion:
These findings could aid clinicians in better managing risk of falls in people with Huntington's disease through targeted and effective strategies.
