ABSTRACT
Recent studies have shown that whole-body vibration improves posture and gait control in stroke patients. Patients with degenerative cerebellar disease suffer from ataxic gait also which is characterised by the variation of gait pattern. Our interest is to test whole-body vibration as a method for rehabilitation treatment in cerebellar patients and to assess the success of the treatment using dynamic tests. The aim of this study was to introduce a method for quantifying movement dynamics during an active voluntary sidestep that results in a body-weight-transfer. Subjects had to perform a step from a feet-apart-position to a feet-together-position and back again. The algorithms presented in this study allow automatic identification of the timing of the dynamic phases by analysing the centre of pressure trajectory. For this study the time flow of averaged speed, acceleration, and jerk was calculated for the active movement only. This study demonstrates that jerk provides a sensitive measure for the improvement in gait in rehabilitation and during training.
Subject(s)
Cerebellar Ataxia/physiopathology , Cerebellar Ataxia/rehabilitation , Gait/physiology , Movement/physiology , Postural Balance/physiology , Acceleration , Adult , Algorithms , Body Weight/physiology , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The cerebral cortex of three macaque monkeys, electrophysiologically studied in chronic preparations in order to recognize functionally the medial parieto-occipital area V6, was reconstructed using the software CARET. Locations of cells recorded from area V6 (n = 553) and from neighbouring cortical areas V2/V3 and V6A (n = 1341) were displayed on surface-based reconstructions of individual brains, and on a surface-based atlas of the macaque cerebral cortex. Results show that area V6 occupies the ventral part and fundus of the parieto-occipital sulcus, as well as the ventral part of the precuneate cortex. V6 borders areas V2/V3 posteriorly and laterally, and area V6A anteriorly. The visualization of individual cases on a common template (atlas), and the use of atlas datasets, allowed us to compare data coming from different individuals and different laboratories. In particular, a comparison of the location and extent of the medial parieto-occipital areas V6 and PO indicates that area PO occupies different locations according to different authors but in general includes parts of both areas V6 and V6A. We therefore suggest that the term V6 is a more appropriate designation of the visuotopically-organized area located on the anterior wall of the parieto-occipital sulcus.
