The objective of the present thesis was to conduct a comparative study between persons with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and similarly aged normal subjects, by examining their lower limb reflex responses to forward whole head-body tilts under different sensory conditions. / Tilts were applied with subjects (10 parkinsonian and 10 control) in standing, via a tilting apparatus through an axis collinear with the ankle joints. Vestibular input was manipulated by changing the acceleration of the tilt, visual input by the use or removal of a blindfold, and somatosensory input by the use of a compliant versus a firm support surface. / We found a consistently lower number of respondents in parkinsonian subjects under all the tilting conditions. These patients also demonstrated a higher proportion of absent or abnormal tilt-evoked responses, while exhibiting a significantly greater resting EMG activity in proximal limb muscles. / The most significant difference lies in the number of respondents between the two subject groups during the "eyes closed-compliant surface" tilting condition. The basal ganglia play a particular role in the weighing of appropriate versus inappropriate sensory inputs, in order to modify balance responses according to changes in environmental conditions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.60452 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Peruzzi, Anna |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (School of Physical and Occupational Therapy.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001215742, proquestno: AAIMM67608, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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