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Freezing Of Gait: Mechanisms, Mechanics, And Management, Peter S. Myers Dec 2018

Freezing Of Gait: Mechanisms, Mechanics, And Management, Peter S. Myers

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with multiple motor and non-motor symptoms, including postural instability, gait impairments, and cognitive deficits. More than 50% of individuals with PD experience a symptom called freezing of gait (FOG), described as a transient inability to take another step forward. Individuals with PD who experience FOG (freezers) have further postural, gait, and cognitive impairments compared to individuals with PD without FOG (non-freezers). While degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is accepted as the primary etiology of the disease, research shows that the disease has a global impact on the brain, accounting …


Sleep, And Its Relation To Non-Motor Deficits In Patients With Cerebellar Ataxia, Akshata Sonni Mar 2018

Sleep, And Its Relation To Non-Motor Deficits In Patients With Cerebellar Ataxia, Akshata Sonni

Doctoral Dissertations

The cerebellum is a highly connected structure, and its involvement in sleep – which is a dynamic process that is modulated by a complex set of neural systems – can come about through a number of neural pathways. We conducted two studies aimed at furthering our understanding of cerebellar involvement in sleep behavior and physiology, as well as measuring the impact of poor sleep on mood and cognition in patients with cerebellar degeneration. First, by means of an online battery including measures of sleep and neuropsychiatric function, we collected data from 176 patients with cerebellar ataxia. We found strong evidence …