Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2025
Using a Split-belt Treadmill to Evaluate Generalization of Human Locomotor Adaptation
Published on: August 23, 2017
Cognition affects gait adaptation after split-belt treadmill training in Parkinson's disease
Sanskriti Sasikumar1, Gianluca Sorrento2, Anthony E Lang1
1Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease and Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, UHN, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Split-belt treadmill (SBTM) training has been proposed to improve gait symmetry and overall gait performance of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Objectives:
To determine whether patient's baseline features affect gait adaptation to SBTM in PD with freezing of gait (FOG).
Methods:
Twenty participants with idiopathic PD and treatment-resistant FOG underwent several clinical assessments including the Toronto Cognitive Assessment (TorCA) prior to treadmill training. Velocity of the treadmill was adjusted to over-ground walking speed. During SBTM training, the belt velocity on the least-affected side was reduced by 25%.
Results:
Participants who adapted to SBTM training demonstrated cognitively intact TorCA scores (p < 0.001), particularly intact working memory (p < 0.001). After-effects correlated with normal total TorCA (p = 0.02), working memory and visuospatial (p < 0.001) function.
Conclusions:
Cognitive impairment, particularly impaired working memory, reduces gait adaptation and after-effects in PD with FOG. This is informative for trials studying prolonged effects of SBTM training in FOG.
