Affiliations: Institute of Neurology, Catholic University, L.go F. Vito, Rome, Italy | Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Rome Polo Pontino, Corso della Repubblica, Latina, Italy | Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus, P.le R. Morandi, Milan, Italy | IRCSS S. Raffaele Pisana Roma, Via della Pisana, Rome, Italy
Note: [] Corresponding author: Pietro Caliandro, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Policlinico Gemelli, Institute of Neurology, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Tel.: +39 06 30154435; Fax: +39 06 35501909; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Purpose: To investigate whether prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning during ataxic gait is linked to compensatory mechanisms or to the typical intra-subject variability of the ataxic gait. Methods: Nineteen patients with chronic ataxia and fifteen healthy subjects were evaluated. The subjects were requested to walk along a straight distance of 10 meters while PFC oxygenation and gait parameters were assessed. PFC activity was evaluated by NIRO-200 while gait analysis was performed by the SMART-D500. To investigate the intra-subject variability of gait, we calculated the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) of the hip, knee and ankle kinematic waveforms furthermore, we evaluated the step width. Results: We observed a positive correlation between PFC bilateral oxygenation changes and the step width (r = 0.54; p = 0.02 for the right PFC, and r = 0.50; p = 0.03 for the left PFC). No correlation was found between PFC activity and CMC of the hip, knee and ankle waveforms. Conclusions: Our results suggest that PFC activity is linked to gait compensatory mechanisms more than to the variability of the joint kinematic parameters caused by a defective cerebellar control.
