Insights into the neural control of locomotion from walking through doorways in Parkinson's disease

摘要: Recent evidence suggests that a network of brain areas may be involved in visually guided walking. Here we study patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who experience ‘freezing’ behaviour to investigate the visual control locomotion and role basal ganglia this system. We use variable-width doorway measure scaling motor output input specifying door width. By measuring walking as participants passed through doorway, show both PD healthy scaled their locomotor outputs Both groups reacted narrower doors by more slowly shorter strides. However, changes were greater group, where speed dramatically decreased while approaching doorway. Such pattern could help explain why doorways cause freezing episodes PD. Neither explicit perceptual judgements width, nor performance on tasks, predicted behaviour. On basis these findings, propose is associated visuomotor disturbance, such responses action-relevant information are exaggerated. In dopaminergic medications improved many baseline gait variables but did not affect sensitivity suggesting effect mediated ganglia. This hypothesis provides novel framework for interpreting variety results patients.