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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Spatiotemporal gait characteristics of Huntington's disease during dual-task walking
Saša Radovanović1, Sanja Vodopić2, Iva Stanković3
1Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Insights
Huntington's disease (HD) patients maintain stable gait patterns during dual-task walking, adapting to minimize fall risk. Their gait is preserved despite cognitive and motor challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder.
- HD is characterized by distinct gait alterations and cognitive impairments, including divided attention deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of cognitive and motor dual-tasking on gait in individuals with Huntington's disease.
- To elucidate how dual-task conditions impact gait parameters in HD patients.
Main Methods:
- Gait analysis was performed on 16 HD patients and 24 healthy controls (HC).
- Participants completed basic walking, dual motor, dual mental, and combined motor-mental tasks.
- Gait parameters were measured under single and dual-task conditions.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in base walk gait parameters were observed between HD patients and HC subjects.
- Gait velocity was consistently reduced in HD patients across all conditions.
- While some gait parameters differed between single and dual tasks (mental, motor), HD patients' gait patterns were remarkably preserved, especially in variability, suggesting a strategy to minimize fall risk.
Conclusions:
- Gait in Huntington's disease patients is remarkably preserved during dual-task walking.
- HD patients adjust gait parameters to enhance stability and reduce the risk of falls.
- The lack of increased gait variability under dual-task conditions indicates a compensatory strategy focused on stability.
Abstract:
Purpose: Huntington's disease (HD) is an neurodegenerative genetic disorder with characteristic gait changes. HD also results in a range of cognitive impairments, such as difficulties to divide attention, or simultaneously monitoring two tasks.Aim: The impact of cognitive and/or motor tasks on HD gait has not been fully elucidated. The aim was to examine gait in HD patients while performing motor and/or cognitive dual-task walking.Methods: Gait was measured with and without performing concurrent cognitive and/or motor tasks. Sixteen HD patients and 24 healthy control (HC) subjects performed a self-paced basic walking task, a dual motor, a dual mental and a combined motor and mental task while walking.Results: Base walk gait parameters are significantly different between HD and HC groups. Same is true for motor, mental and combined tasks comparisons of HD and HC subjects. Gait velocity is also significantly reduced in HD compared to HC for all experimental conditions. Comparison of base walk and mental task performance showing differences in cycle time, stride length, double support time and CV of stride length, while base walk to motor task comparison is different only in stride length. No differences were found when motor and combined tasks were compared to mental task in HD patients.Conclusion: Gait pattern in HD patients while performing motor and/or cognitive dual tasks walking is remarkably preserved. Gait parameters are changed in order to reduce possible falls, and lack of differences of dual tasks gait parameters variability is attributed that patients minimizing risk of falling and preserving stability.
