PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation
Heß, T.; Themann, P.; Oehlwein, C.; Milani, T.L. Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci.2023, 13, 1681.
Heß, T.; Themann, P.; Oehlwein, C.; Milani, T.L. Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci. 2023, 13, 1681.
Heß, T.; Themann, P.; Oehlwein, C.; Milani, T.L. Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci.2023, 13, 1681.
Heß, T.; Themann, P.; Oehlwein, C.; Milani, T.L. Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci. 2023, 13, 1681.
Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception contributes to axial motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and whether anti-parkinsonian medication and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), show different effects. Methods: Three groups were tested: PD patients on medication (PD-MED), PD patients on medication and additional STN-DBS (PD-MED–DBS), and healthy subjects (HS) as reference. Motor performance was analyzed using a pressure distribution platform. Plantar cutaneous vibration perception thresholds (VPT) were investigated using a customized vibration exciter at 30 Hz. Results: Motor performance of PD-MED and PD-MED–DBS was characterized by greater postural sway, smaller limits of stability ranges, and slower gait, due to shorter strides, fewer steps per minute, and broader stride widths compared to HS. Comparing patient groups, PD-MED–DBS showed better overall motor performance than PD-MED, particularly for the functional limits of stability and gait. VPTs were significantly higher for PD-MED compared to HS, which suggests impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception in PD. However, PD-MED–DBS showed less impaired cutaneous vibration perception than PD-MED. Conclusion: PD patients suffer from poor motor performance compared to healthy subjects. Anti-parkinsonian medication in conjunction with STN-DBS seems to be superior for normalizing axial motor symptoms compared to medication alone. Plantar cutaneous vibration perception is impaired in PD patients, whereas anti-parkinsonian medication together with STN-DBS is superior for normalizing tactile cutaneous perception compared to medication alone. Consequently, based on our results and the findings of the literature impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception might contribute to axial motor symptoms in PD.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
