| Popis: |
Background: Cerebellar ataxia is a hindering impairment, affecting movement and quality of life. Rehabilitation remains an essential part of management of persons presenting with cerebellar ataxia. Coupling steps to auditory stimuli have been shown to improve gait in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis (MS), yet it is unclear whether these techniques are applicable for persons with cerebellar damage. We investigate the impact of bilateral cerebellar lesions and marked ataxia on the ability to synchronize finger-taps and foot-steps to music and metronomes. Case description: 55 years old male with MS (Expended Disability Status Scale 6.5) with marked cerebellar ataxia (Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia 21) but overall preserved muscle strength. Methods: Synchronization of finger-taps and foot-steps to beats in music and metronomes were investigated at tempi ranging from -12% to +12% with respect to the spontaneous tapping tempo and natural walking cadence, in increments of 4% (randomized). Results: During the tapping task, the patient was able to synchronize his finger-taps to both auditory stimuli, with the highest synchronization consistency at the -12% tempo. At this tempo, we observed that his upper extremity movements became more coordinated. During the walking task, the patient was not able to synchronize his foot-steps to music and metronomes across the different tempi, with the exception of walking to metronomes at -12% tempo where he was able to synchronize, yet very poorly. At this tempo, the patient's cadence, stride length and speed also increased compared to his baseline. Conclusion: Sensorimotor synchronization of motor tasks with auditory stimuli was feasible in this case study of a patient diagnosed with MS with marked cerebellar ataxia. Rehabilitation of motor control should consider applying training at frequencies lower than usual movement frequencies of the patient. |
