Effect of levodopa treatment on gait in older adults with mild parkinsonian signs
Discuss this preprint
Start a discussion What are Sciety discussions?Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Background
Slow walking in older adults with mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) is a complex, multifactorial phenomenon arising from the cumulative burden of subclinical age-associated pathologies. This decline reflects age-associated neuronal loss in the dopaminergic system. A recent study suggests that levodopa treatment may enhance gait parameters. The goal of this small pilot study is to explore the effect of levodopa treatment on slow walking gait in older adults with MPS.
Method
This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical pilot trial. Slow walking older adults without clinical evidence of PD were recruited and randomized into 2 groups (active treatment group or placebo control group). Participants in the active group were pre-treated with carbidopa for three days, followed by carbidopa-levodopa for seven days. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention.
Results
Gait factor analysis identified three main factors explaining gait characteristics at baseline, which included “gait efficiency”, “gait rhythmicity”, and “gait turning”.No effect of treatment was observed in the placebo group (β=0.111, p=0.616), no group difference was observed between the placebo and active group at baseline (β=0.310, p=0.547), but a strong trend for a treatment-related increase was observed in the active treatment group (β=0.506, p=0.076).
Conclusion
Our preliminary data suggest that sustained levodopa treatment (one week) in conjunction with carbidopa pre-treatment and concomitant carbidopa supplementation is feasible in slow walking older adults with MPS. Moreover, the data indicate potential efficacy, showing improvements in cadence, and step durations.
