Which aspect of VGRF signal during gait deteriorates in Parkinson’s disease?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Vertical Ground Reaction Force (VGRF) in gait initiation and stepping over a simple straight path. Twenty patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) and fifteen healthy elderly participated in this study. The subjects completed the gait task at an arbitrary speed for two minutes. The VGRF signal of gait was extracted using the sum of ٨ pressure sensors data fixed under each foot. There was a significant increase in maximum and average of VGRF signal in Parkinsonian's group. The results showed a high decrement of correlation coefficient between right and left feet duringgait for Parkinsonian's patients. However, there were no significant differences in cadence (step speed) between healthy and patient groups. Considering gait as an almost automatic activity in normal condition, this study explains how dopamine depletion in basal ganglia would cause gait abnormalities in patients with PD. These findings can be used in pathophysiological gait analysis of PD patients, rehabilitation and identification of gait abnormality in PD.

کلیدواژه ها:

Vertical Ground Reaction Force ، Parkinson's disease ، Gait ، Basal Ganglia ، Dopamine