Training Based On Declarative Memory Cues Improved Gait In Patients With Parkinson's Disease

University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Status

Completed

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Treatments

Behavioral: Experimental Training

Behavioral: Control Training

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02600728

USPNEC006

Details and patient eligibility

About

Deficits in automatic motor control, characteristic of Parkinson's disease (PD), contribute to progressive impairment in gait performance. The use of declarative memory cues in order to promote the engagement of attention and activation of the next movement in gait may minimize the consequences of lack of automatic control. The purpose of this study is to verify the long-term efficiency of a new strategy based on declarative memory cue to improve the gait performance and independence in daily life activities (DLA) in patients with PD.

Full description

Background: Deficits in automatic motor control, characteristic of Parkinson's disease (PD), contribute to progressive impairment in gait performance. The use of declarative memory cues in order to promote the engagement of attention and activation of the next movement in gait may minimize the consequences of lack of automatic control.

Objectives: To verify the long-term efficiency of a new strategy based on declarative memory cue to improve the gait performance and independence in daily life activities (DLA) in patients with PD.

Design: Parallel prospective, single blind, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Brazilian Parkinson Association. Participants: Forty-four patients with PD in stages 2-3 of disease evolution according to Hoehn and Yahr Classification Interventions: The experimental training (ET) consisted of eight gait training sessions, twice a week, using the declarative memory cues strategy (DMCS). The control training (CT) consisted of a similar gait training without DMCS.

Primary outcome measure: Gait performance in terms of speed and stride length. Secondary outcome measure: Independence in DLA according to Section II of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

Randomization: Participants were randomized into a control group (CG), which performed the CT, and an experimental group (EG), which performed the ET, through blinded drawing of names.

Statistical analysis: The gait performance and ADL independence before, 2 and 60 days after the end of training were compared for CG and EG using Repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA).

Enrollment

50 patients

Sex

All

Ages

65 to 80 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease according to the UK Brain Bank criteria;
in stage 2-3 of the disease evolution according to the Hoehn and Yahr;
treated with levodopa or its synergists;
capable to ambulate independently indoors without aid;
referring 5 to 15 years of education;
good visual and auditory acuity.

Exclusion criteria

presence of other neurological (excluding PD), orthopedic or cardiopulmonary problems;
visual and auditory deficiency;
dementia [assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), cut-off 23];
depression [according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), cut-off 6]
participation in other physical therapy training.