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Immediate effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait kinematics in Parkinson's disease ON/OFF medication
Carmen Erra1, Ilaria Mileti2, Marco Germanotta3
1Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCSS, Rome, Italy; Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Objective:
Gait impairment is a highly disabling symptom for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS), has shown to improve spatio-temporal gait parameters in PD, but only a few studies have focused on their effects on gait kinematics, and the ideal stimulation frequency has still not been identified.
Methods:
We enrolled 30 PD patients and 18 controls. Patients were evaluated under two conditions (with (ON), and without (OFF) medications) with three different RAS frequencies (90%, 100%, and 110% of the patient's preferred walking cadence). Spatial-temporal parameters, joint angles and gait phases distribution were evaluated. A novel global index (GPQI) was used to quantify the difference in gait phase distribution.
Results:
Along with benefits in spatial-temporal parameters, GPQI improved significantly with RAS at a frequency of 110% for both ON and OFF medication conditions. In the most severe patients, the same result was observed also with RAS at 100%.
Conclusions:
RAS administration, at a frequency of 110% of the preferred walking frequency, can be beneficial in improving the gait pattern in PD patients.
Significance:
When rhythmic auditory stimulation is provided to patients with PD, the selection of an adequate frequency of stimulation can optimize their effects on gait pattern.