Characterizing gaze and postural stability deficits in people with multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Science
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) significantly impacts function, activity, and participation.
• Vestibular system deficits, including gaze and postural stability, are under-explored in MS.
• Understanding these deficits is crucial for effective rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize gaze and postural stability deficits in people with MS (PwMS) across WHO ICF domains.
• To examine how body structure/function and activity deficits relate to participation limitations in PwMS.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of baseline data from 41 PwMS in a randomized clinical trial.
• Gaze and postural stability measures across WHO ICF domains: body structure/function, activity, and participation.
• Correlation and regression analyses to explore relationships between ICF domains.

Main Results:

• Significant correlations found between postural sway and MiniBEST test, and MiniBEST test and ABC scale scores.
• Significant correlations observed between VOR gain measures and dynamic visual acuity.
• MiniBEST score significantly predicted ABC score (34% variance); no significant predictors for DHI score.

Conclusions:

• PwMS exhibit gaze and postural stability deficits across WHO ICF domains.
• Limited strong relationships were found between body structure/function, activity, and participation domains.
• Small sample size, outcome variability, and diverse MS presentation may explain limited cross-domain relationships.