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Dual task gait deteriorates gait performance in cervical dystonia patients: a pilot study
Oscar Crisafulli1, Carlo Trompetto1,2, Luca Puce1
1Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)
|July 29, 2021
Summary
Patients with cervical dystonia (CD) exhibit impaired dual-task walking performance, showing reduced speed and increased variability. These gait deficits correlate with balance issues, not clinical CD features.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gait Analysis
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Dual-tasking, performing multiple activities simultaneously, relies on cognitive control.
- Cervical dystonia (CD) patients experience impaired postural control during dual-tasking.
- The impact of dual-tasking on gait performance in CD patients remains uninvestigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if adding cognitive and motor tasks deteriorates gait performance in CD patients.
- To compare dual-task gait performance between CD patients and healthy subjects (HS).
Main Methods:
- A pilot case-control study involving 17 CD patients and 19 HS.
- Gait performance assessed using GaitRite® during usual, fast, cognitive dual-task, and obstacle negotiation walking.
- Spatiotemporal parameters, dual-task cost, and coefficients of variability (CV%) measured. Balance assessed with Mini-BEST and Four Step Square tests.
Main Results:
- CD patients demonstrated significantly impaired complex gait and balance compared to HS.
- CD patients exhibited lower walking speed, longer stance time, and higher CV% and dual-task cost.
- Altered gait parameters in CD patients correlated with balance performance, independent of clinical CD features.
Conclusions:
- Complex walking and balance are impaired in CD patients.
- Dual-tasking exacerbates gait deficits in CD.
- Gait and balance impairments in CD may be interconnected.
