Direction-specific postural instability in subjects with Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Experimental neurology Vol. 193; no. 2; pp. 504 - 521
• Main Authors: Horak, Fay B., Dimitrova, Diana, Nutt, John G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.06.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Balance; Biological and medical sciences; Biomechanical Phenomena; Case-Control Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dyskinesias - physiopathology; Equilibrium; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Humans; Medical sciences; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Postural Balance - physiology; Posture; Posture - physiology; Pressure; Reaction Time - physiology; Parkinson's disease; Balance; Equilibrium; Posture; Knee; Human; Trunk; Nervous system diseases; Stability; Evaluation scale; Central nervous system; Parkinson disease; Basal ganglion; Perturbation; Cerebral disorder; Central nervous system disease; Instability; Degenerative disease; Extrapyramidal syndrome

The purpose of this study was to determine whether and why subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) have greater instability in response to specific directions of perturbations than do age-matched control subjects and how instability is affected by stance width. This study compared postural respo...