Quantifying Postural Control in Premanifest and Manifest Huntington Disease Using Wearable Sensors.
Franchino Porciuncula, Paula Wasserman, Karen S Marder and 1 others
PMID 32672492WHAT IT FOUND
Wearable sensors detected balance instability in people before Huntington disease became manifest, mainly when eyes were closed on foam.
Gaze fixation steadied these participants and controls, but not people with manifest Huntington disease.
Key findings
01Wearable sensors showed larger sway increases in premanifest Huntington disease than controls only when eyes were closed on foam.
02Manifest Huntington disease showed larger sway increases than controls during foam conditions, and also during eyes-closed firm for one measure.
03Gaze fixation reduced sway in controls and premanifest Huntington disease, but not in manifest Huntington disease.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included a small number of participants, which limits how far the findings can be generalised. Gaze fixation was monitored by observation and video, not by measuring eye movements, so subtle eye problems could have influenced the results. Cognitive data were not collected, although attention and cognition may affect how people use gaze fixation. The study measured balance during a single testing session and did not test a treatment programme, so it cannot show that gaze fixation improves function or falls. Some disease severity data were missing for a few participants. Reliability was mainly examined during eyes-open firm standing, and reliability varied by group and measure.
Declared interests
No author conflicts of interest are reported in the supplied text. The article is categorized as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that gaze fixation treats balance in Huntington disease. This study measured balance during testing, not a treatment programme, and people with manifest Huntington disease did not improve with gaze fixation.