The effects of levodopa in the spatiotemporal gait parameters are mediated by self-selected gait speed in Parkinson's disease

Author(s):Show less -

Avila de Oliveira, Julia ^[1] ; Bazan, Paulo Rodrigo ^[2] ; de Oliveira, Claudia Eunice Neves ^[3] ; Treza, Renata de Castro ^[3] ; Hondo, Sandy Mikie ^[4] ; Los Angeles, Emanuele ^[3] ; Bernardo, Claudionor ^[4] ; de Oliveira, Luana dos Santos ^[3] ; Carvalho, Margarete de Jesus ^[5] ; de Lima-Pardini, Andrea C. ^[6] ; Coelho, Daniel Boari ^{[1, 4, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Phys Educ & Sport, Human Motor Syst Lab, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Inst Cerebro, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Fed Univ ABC, Ctr Math Computat & Cognit, Sao Bernardo Do Campo - Brazil

^[4] Fed Univ ABC, Biomed Engn, Sao Bernardo Do Campo - Brazil

^[5] Fac Med ABC, Ambulatorio Disturbios Movimento, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[6] Queens Univ, Ctr Neurosci Studies, Lab Integrat Motor Behav, Kingston, ON - Canada

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: European Journal of Neuroscience; v. 54, n. 11 NOV 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

In individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), the medication induces different and inconsistent results in the spatiotemporal parameters of gait, making it difficult to understand its effects on gait. As spatiotemporal gait parameters have been reported to be affected by gait speed, it is essential to consider the gait speed when studying walking biomechanics to interpret the results better when comparing the gait pattern of different conditions. Since the medication alters the self-selected gait speed of individuals with PD, this study analysed whether the change in gait speed can explain the selective effects of l-DOPA on the spatiotemporal parameters of gait in individuals with PD. We analysed the spatiotemporal gait parameters at the self-selected speed of 22 individuals with PD under ON and OFF states of l-DOPA medication. Bayesian mediation analysis evaluated which gait variables were affected by the medication state and checked if those effects were mediated by speed changes induced by medication. The gait speed was significantly higher among ON compared with OFF medication. All the spatiotemporal parameters of the gait were mediated by speed, with proportions of mediation close to 1 (effect entirely explained by speed changes). Our results show that a change in gait speed better explains the changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters than the ON-OFF phenomenon. As an implication for rehabilitation, our results suggest that it is possible to assess the effect of l-DOPA on improving motor symptoms related to gait disorders by measuring gait speed. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/06604-1 - Biomechanical modelling and clinical assessment data gathering with technological innovations towards movement restoration and sports performance for people with disabilities
• Grantee: Claudiane Arakaki Fukuchi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 15/14810-0 - Biomechanical and functional aspects of the musculoskeletal system of runners: chronic effects of therapeutic exercise and aging
• Grantee: Isabel de Camargo Neves Sacco
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants