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Gait Disturbances in Movement Disorders: A Motor-Cognitive Problem

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Locomotion and Posture in Older Adults

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Abstract

Individuals with movement disorders (MD) have gait deficits including impaired automaticity and instability. Despite specific impairments in motor control networks, recent evidence suggests that cognitive deficits are common in individuals with MD and can magnify their gait problems. In this chapter, we present studies showing that locomotor difficulties among individuals with MD are mainly observed in those with cognitive deficits and during complex walking situations in which demands in cognitive and sensorimotor processing increase. Overall, studies demonstrate that gait disturbances and cognitive impairment coexist in MD and together accelerate the loss of mobility in these individuals.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported in part by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazil (CNPq), as scholarship to FPF and CRAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Frederico Pieruccini-Faria

  2. Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada

    Frederico Pieruccini-Faria & Carolina R. A. Silveira

  3. Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Quincy J. Almeida

Authors
  1. Frederico Pieruccini-Faria
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  2. Carolina R. A. Silveira
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  3. Quincy J. Almeida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederico Pieruccini-Faria .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Department of Physical Education, Human Movement Research Laboratory – MOVI-LAB, Campus Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fabio Augusto Barbieri

  2. Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Department of Physical Education, Posture and Gait Studies Lab (LEPLO), Campus Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rodrigo Vitório

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Pieruccini-Faria, F., Silveira, C.R.A., Almeida, Q.J. (2017). Gait Disturbances in Movement Disorders: A Motor-Cognitive Problem. In: Barbieri, F., Vitório, R. (eds) Locomotion and Posture in Older Adults. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48980-3_9

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