Stepping Analysis in Patients with Spinocerebellar Degeneration and Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

POLGON (Polarized light goniometer) was used to evaluate ataxia during stepping movements in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) and Parkinson's disease. The measurements included mean angular change of shoulders (M.A.C.S.) and its coefficient of variation (C.V.). In patients with SCD, the values of M.A.C.S. were significantly larger at 1.0 step/s than those at other stepping rhythms. This results suggests that the stepping rhythm of 1.0 step/s is useful for the detection of cerebellar ataxia. The values of C.V. correlated with the degree of advancement of SCD. In patients with Parkinson's disease, the values of M.A.C.S. tended to decrease because of the restricted elevation of the knee, while those of C.V. were increased. The results showed that the stepping test using the POLGON was useful for estimation of the characteristic disequilibrium of SCD and Parkinson's disease.

Comparison of visual and haptic feedback during training of lower extremities

“…Virtual teacher's reference movements were presented as a stepping-inplace (SIP) task. SIP test has been applied in various clinical and rehabilitative applications [10][11][12]. A preliminary investigation [15] showed that healthy subjects can adapt to the virtual teacher very quickly.…”

Virtual environment for lower-extremities training

“…During the last decade, the test has also entered the rehabilitation environment. The SIP test has been applied to stroke patients [3], patients with Parkinson disease [4], and amputees. These previous studies have focused either on evaluating the test as an indicator of a disease, or on assessing patients' strategies for overcoming limited movement in their lower extremities.…”