A paradigm was developed to evaluate neural pathophysiology of gait and turning in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) using fMRI. BOLD signal change of imagined walking and turning was compared to resting state activation in PD patients and controls. Subjects performed physical examinations including the Timed Up and Go (TUG) task, ten-meter walk and a timed 360-degree turn to assess motor performance. Brain activity was compared between groups and to motor performance. This study concluded that a neural correlate of the TUG task exists in BOLD signal change in the premotor and primary motor area when imagining-turning compared to imagining-walking.
This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.