Parkinson's disease delays predictable visual cue processing without affecting complex and unpredictable visual cue
Caio Ferraz Cruz1, Ana Maria Forti Barela2, Flávia Doná3
1Institute of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Brain Research
|November 28, 2020
Summary
Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) sway more with complex, unpredictable visual cues. However, they process predictable visual information differently than controls, suggesting potential impacts on balance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor control, including postural stability.
- Visual information significantly influences upright stance and balance control in healthy individuals and those with PD.
- The impact of visual complexity and predictability on postural sway in early-stage Parkinson's disease requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how varying visual information complexity and predictability affect body sway in individuals with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD).
- To compare postural responses to visual stimuli between individuals with PD and healthy controls.
- To elucidate the role of visual processing in maintaining upright stance for individuals with PD.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-one individuals with early-stage PD and 21 age-matched controls participated.
- Participants stood in a moving room that oscillated with simple periodic, complex periodic, or complex non-periodic visual stimuli.
- Trunk displacement and postural sway were measured using an OPTOTRAK system; sway magnitude, coherence, gain, and phase were analyzed.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences in sway were observed when the room was stationary.
- The PD group exhibited significantly larger sway magnitude under complex, non-periodic visual conditions.
- Individuals with PD showed delayed responses (lower phase values) to simple periodic visual stimuli compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) can utilize complex and unpredictable visual information for postural control, similar to controls.
- PD may specifically impair the processing of predictable visual cues essential for maintaining balance.
- These findings highlight a potential visual processing deficit in PD affecting balance, particularly with structured visual environments.
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