Gait Pattern and Cognitive Performance During Treadmill Walking in Parkinson Disease

Objective The aim of this study was to explore whether attentional demands are involved in gait improvements in Parkinson disease (PD) patients when they walk on a treadmill. Design Nineteen individuals with idiopathic PD and 19 age-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Participants walked on a treadmill and on overground under single task (walk only) and dual task (walk performing a simultaneous cognitive task) conditions. The dual-task paradigm was used to reveal the attention allocation behavior. Gait pattern and cognitive performance was measured. Results The PD group showed reduced gait variability when walking on a treadmill in comparison with overground. However, this reduction did not deteriorate during the dual task. Moreover, there were no differences in the cognitive performance between treadmill and overground walking. Conclusions This study does not support the proposition attentional resource allocation as a possible mechanism for the treadmill-associated gait improvements observed in PD. To Claim CME Credits: Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME CME Objectives: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Understand the influence of attentional demands on gait improvements in PD patients during treadmill walking; (2) Verbalize the gait improvements demonstrated in PD patients following gait training on a treadmill; and (3) Understand the benefits of treadmill training as a therapeutic tool to improve gait in people with PD. Level: Advanced Accreditation: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.