Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation · Aug 27, 2024

The Effect of Sensory Reweighting on Postural Control and Cortical Activity in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

By Sadeghi M, Bristow T, Fakorede S et al.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of sensory reweighting on postural control and cortical activity in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to age-matched controls using a virtual reality sensory organization test (VR-SOT). DESIGN: Cross-sectional pilot study. SETTING: University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Ten participants with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 11 age- and sex-matched control participants without neurologic disorders. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in center of pressure (COP) and electroencephalography (EEG) activity (ie, power) in the alpha band and the theta/beta ratio recorded during the VR-SOT were the main outcome variables. RESULTS: PD participants exhibited greater COP displacement, particularly in the mediolateral direction across sensory conditions. They also showed increased alpha power when relying on visual inputs and increased theta/beta ratio power when depending on somatosensory inputs. CONCLUSION: PD affects sensory reweighting mechanisms involved in postural control, as evidenced by greater COP displacement and altered cortical activity. These findings emphasize the potential of EEG and VR-SOT in understanding and monitoring postural control impairments in PD.

doi.org/10.1016/j.arrct.2024.100368PubMed 39822191Mechanisms