Communications affichees Version francaise
Universite d'Evry, Inserm U902, Evry, FranceE mail address: bernard.auvinet@gmail.comKeywords: Gait instability; Dual task; LeukoaraiosisObjective. Gait unsteadiness is considered as the first step of major healthconcerns such as fall and dementia. Gait dysfunction has to be measured underdual task gait test (DTGT) The aim of this study was to investigate therelationships between DTGT and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Materialandmethods. DatawerecollectedthroughaGaitInstabilityNetworkincluding DTGT. Twenty five patients aged less than 76 years old were tested(age: 71 5 years, F: 8, M: 17, MMSE: 28 2).Methods. The assessment includes five successive steps: auto questionnaires,nurse evaluation, clinical balance tests, cognitive tests, medical examination,and DTGT. Gait analysis was provided by a three axis accelerometer(Locometrix) three variables were selected: walking speed (WS) stridefrequency(SF)andstrideregularityindex(SR).TheDualTask(DT)consistsinwalking and backward counting one by one from fifty. MRI including cortextrophycity, hippocampal Scheltens score, and age related white matter changes(ARWMC) was performed under blind condition.Results. Under DT condition, each gait variable decreases significantly. WS:from1.13 0.24 to 0.98 0.23 m/s (P 0.02) SF: from 0.91 0.09 to0.79 0.13 Hz (P <0.001) SR: from 211 51 to 160 60 dimensionless(P <0.002) Out of 25 patients, three had a vestibular disorder, one had post stroke effects. No clinical explanation can be found for 21 patients other thanhippocampal atrophy (Scheltens score 1.4 0.6) and/or leukoaraiosis(ARWMC score: 4.3 4.3).Discussion. These results illustrate the interest of measuring not only walkingspeedandstride regularity, butalsostride frequency underDTGT, andraise thequestion of the role of leukoaraiosis in gait instability [1].Reference[1] The LADIS Study Group 2001 2011. A decade of the LADIS (Leukoa raiosisAndDISabilityStudy:whathavewelearnedaboutwhitematterchangesand small vessel disease? Cerebrovasc Dis 2011;32:577 5888.http:/dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2013.07.608CO28 004 e