Relationship Between Posturography, Clinical Balance and Executive Function in Parkinson´s Disease

• Published in: Journal of motor behavior Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 212 - 221
• Main Authors: Souza, Carolina de Oliveira, Voos, Mariana Callil, Barbosa, Alessandra Ferreira, Chen, Janini, Francato, Debora Cristina Valente, Milosevic, Matija, Popovic, Milos, Fonoff, Erich Talamoni, Chien, Hsin Fen, Barbosa, Egberto Reis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 04-03-2019; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Aged; Attention; balance; Body Weight; cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Executive function; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor ability; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Postural Balance - physiology; postural control; Posture; Posture - physiology; Semantics; Semiotics; Time and Motion Studies; Verbal Behavior; Walking; postural control; Parkinson's disease; balance; cognition
• ISSN: 0022-2895; 1940-1027
• DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2018.1458279

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between posturography, clinical balance, and executive function tests in Parkinson´s disease (PD). Seventy-one people participated in the study. Static posturography evaluated the center of pressure fluctuations in quiet standing and dynamic posturography assessed sit-to-stand, tandem walk, and step over an obstacle. Functional balance was evaluated by Berg Balance Scale, MiniBESTest, and Timed Up and Go test. Executive function was assessed by Trail Making Test (TMT) and semantic verbal fluency test. Step over obstacle measures (percentage of body weight transfer and movement time) were moderately correlated to Timed Up and Go, part B of TMT and semantic verbal fluency (r > 0.40; p < 0.05 in all relationships). Stepping over an obstacle assesses the responses to internal perturbations. Participants with shorter movement times and higher percentage of body weight transfer (higher lift up index) on this task were also faster in Timed Up and Go, part B of TMT, and semantic verbal fluency. All these tasks require executive function (problem solving, sequencing, shifting attention), which is affected by PD and contribute to postural assessment.