Locomotor function in the early stage of Parkinson's disease

The cardinal motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been widely investigated with particular reference to abnormalities of steady-state walking. The great majority of studies, however are related to severe forms of PD patients (phases >=3 of Hoehn and Yahr scale), where locomotor abnormalities are clearly manifested. Goal of the present study was to quantitatively describe locomotor symptoms in subjects with mild PD. Accordingly, a multitask protocol involving instrumental analysis of steady-state linear walking, initiation of gait, and turning while walking was applied to a group of patients with idiopathic PD in their early clinical stage (phases 1 and 2 of Hoehn and Yahr scale), as well as in age-matched elderly controls. Kinematic, kinetic, and myoelectric measures were obtained by optoelectronic motion analysis, force platform, and telemetric electromyography. Results in PD patients showed a tendency to bradykinetic gait, with reduction of walking speed and cadence. Impairments of gait initiation consisted in reduction of the backward shift of the center of pressure (CoP) and prolongation of the stepping phase. Alterations of the turning task were more consistent and included delayed reorientation of the head toward the new direction, altered head-upper trunk rotational strategy, and adoption of a greater number of steps to complete the turning. It is concluded that patients in the early stage of PD reveal mild alterations of steady-state linear walking and more significant anomalies in the transitional conditions, especially during changes in the travel direction. Quantitative analysis of nonstationary locomotor tasks might be a potentially useful starting point for further studies on the pathophysiology of PD.