Inter-segmental coordination patterns in Parkinson's disease are particularly disturbed during preferred walking...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Neuroscience
• Network Theory

Background:

• Human gait relies on complex coordination between musculoskeletal segments.
• Parkinson's disease (PD) disrupts this coordination, with walking speed being a key influencing factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate inter-segmental coordination during different walking speeds in people with PD (PwPD).
• To utilize an unconstrained, data-driven network theory approach to analyze gait coordination.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-nine PwPD and 29 controls walked at preferred, slow, and fast speeds, with data captured via optical motion capture.
• Body segment accelerations were correlated to build kinectomes (network graphs), with nodes representing segments and edges representing co-accelerations.
• Kinectomes and graph patterns were compared between PwPD and controls across speeds and movement directions.

Main Results:

• No significant overall kinectome differences were found between groups across speeds or directions.
• Coordination deficits in PwPD were most prominent at preferred walking speed, with 162 significantly different graph patterns in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions.
• Fewer differences were observed at fast (4 patterns) and slow (1 pattern) speeds, suggesting altered control strategies.

Conclusions:

• Parkinson's disease significantly affects inter-segmental gait coordination, particularly at the commonly used preferred walking speed.
• Non-preferred walking speeds in PD may exhibit more regulated patterns, potentially informing future therapeutic interventions.
• Direction-specific coordination deficits offer novel insights into the pathological and compensatory mechanisms underlying PD gait disturbances.