The Effect of Sensory Reweighting on Postural Control and Cortical Activity in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study.
Maryam Sadeghi, Thomas Bristow, Sodiq Fakorede and 7 others
PMID 39822191WHAT IT FOUND
People with Parkinson's disease standing on foam in a dark VR scene swayed more side to side than controls.
Their brain-wave measures were higher when relying on vision or touch. This pilot tested 10 people with Parkinson's disease and 11 controls.
Key findings
01The final analysis included 10 participants with Parkinson's disease and 11 control participants.
02Participants with Parkinson's disease showed greater side-to-side sway than controls when relying on somatosensory, visual, or vestibular inputs.
03Participants with Parkinson's disease had higher alpha power when relying on visual inputs and higher theta/beta ratio power when relying on somatosensory inputs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The final analysis included 10 participants with Parkinson's disease and 11 controls, so the study was small and may have missed real differences. Some participants were excluded after losing balance during testing, so the findings may not apply to people who cannot complete the conditions safely. The Parkinson's group had lower MoCA scores than controls, and the authors adjusted for this, but the findings still may not apply to people without cognitive changes. The VR-SOT results should not be assumed equivalent to traditional SOT results. The study compared groups during balance tests, not a treatment given to patients. The participants were in very mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, so the findings may not generalise to more advanced disease.
Declared interests
The authors reported no disclosures.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these sway and brain-wave differences as a diagnostic test or a treatment target. The study was a pilot with 10 people with Parkinson's disease and 11 controls, and the authors said the findings may not generalise until confirmed in a larger sample.