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Modulations of Gait in Normal Aging and in Parkinson’s Disease

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Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 75))

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Abstract

Studying age-related sensorimotor impairments can give us a better understanding of the mechanisms of human aging. This field of study is of great interest for two reasons. First, for application purposes, a better knowledge of impairments, the conditions under which they occur, and possible ways of delaying them may help elderly persons to become more autonomous. Second, for theoretical purposes, the study of human aging can lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms which compensate for biological degradations and cope with external demands. Aging is the product of both maturational and environmental processes, and studies on aging must determine how the intricate interrelationships between these processes evolve. Unlike developmental research on children, studies on aging immediately pose the problem of pathology. Aging is accompanied by ever increasing vulnerability which makes elderly subjects more likely to contract diseases and less able to resist. Moreover, certain age-related diseases (that is, ones which rarely occur before the sixth decade) make it difficult to separate normal old-aged individuals from the pathological elderly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Aix-Marseille II. CNRS URA 1166 IBHOP, Traverse Charles Susini, 13388, Marseille Cedex 13, France

    A. M. Ferrandez

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  1. A. M. Ferrandez
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Motor Control Section, Exercise and Sport Research Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    George E. Stelmach

  2. Neurological Therapy Center, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Volker Hömberg

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Ferrandez, A.M. (1993). Modulations of Gait in Normal Aging and in Parkinson’s Disease. In: Stelmach, G.E., Hömberg, V. (eds) Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly. NATO ASI Series, vol 75. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4872-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1976-4

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