Research overview
The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by
IntroductionLittle is known about the early stage balance changes in PD. Many clinicians assume that there are no postural issues in early PD because of failure to identify them on bedside and clinical testing. Here, we quantify balance changes in early and moderate stage PD and compared these values to healthy controls (HC) using clinical assessments of balance and posturography.MethodsWe compared 15 HC with 15 early PD (PD-II; Hoehn and Yahr stage II) and 15 moderate PD (PD-III; H&Y stage III). Participants performed various clinical tests of balance and a standing postural task on a force platform. We quantified the spatiotemporal parameters of the center of pressure (COP), the sample entropy and power spectral density (PSD) of the COP.ResultsThe PSD of the COP differentiated PD-II from HC from 0-0.5 Hz and PD-II from PD-III from 0.5-1 Hz. Specifically, PD-II and PD-III manifested greater power than HC from 0-0.5 Hz, whereas PD-III exhibited greater power than PD-II and HC from 0.5-1.0 Hz (p0.05). Although the sample entropy was significantly lower in the PD groups (pConclusionThe low-frequency modulation of the COP in this small cohort differentiated early PD from HC and from moderate PD. Clinicians should be aware that there are early balance deficits in PD. A larger sample size is needed to confirm these findings.
Scientific assessment
Research question
Assess the question within the original study’s scope.
Methods & sample
Check the source article for study design and sample details.
Key findings
An editorially approved findings summary is not yet published for this record.
Limitations
Generalizability, bias and clinical meaning require separate assessment.
Methods, samples and clinical conclusions are not inferred from bibliographic metadata.