Discordance Between Balance Ability and Perception Is Associated With Falls in Parkinson's Disease: A Coordinated Analysis.

Background: The congruence or discordance between actual and perceived balance ability has been proposed to be linked to functional outcomes such as falls. However, gaps remain in our ability to quantify discordance, and its relationship to relevant outcomes.

Objective: To investigate a novel quantification of concordance/discordance between balance performance and perception and determine the relationship to falls among people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD).

Dual-Task Performance and Brain Morphologic Characteristics in Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) reduces an individual's capacity for automaticity which limits their ability to perform two tasks simultaneously, negatively impacting daily function. Understanding the neural correlates of dual tasks (DTs) may pave the way for targeted therapies. To better understand automaticity in PD, we aimed to explore whether individuals with differing DT performances possessed differences in brain morphologic characteristics.

Effects of a physical therapist-driven individualized hybrid model of the exercise component of cardiac rehabilitation on patient outcomes: a prospective single group, time-series design.

Purpose: The aim of this prospective single group, time-series study was to determine the feasibility, adherence, and effectiveness of an individualized physical therapist (PT)-driven hybrid model of the exercise component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) that uses a novel intensity-recovery progression protocol (IRPP) and cardiac testing template (CTT) to assess achieved heart rate (HR) intensity, HR recovery, and intensity-recovery total to guide treatment.

Methods: Assessment of a questionnaire, treadmill 6-min walk (6MW), 1-min sit-to-stand (1STS), 1-min step, and 1-min agility square tests were assessed on 100 participants. Compared to traditional CR the 36-visit 1:1 hybrid model was individualized using the IRPP program and CTT.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of the Traditional Chinese version of the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire in Taiwanese community-dwelling adults.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ) into Traditional Chinese (FFABQ-TC) and to evaluate the psychometric properties of FFABQ-TC in Taiwanese adults.

Methods: We translated and culturally adapted the FFABQ into Traditional Chinese, ensuring linguistic accuracy and cultural relevance. A total of 230 Taiwanese community-dwelling adults participated in the study.

The psychometric properties of the modified fear of falling avoidance behavior questionnaire in Parkinson's disease and older adults.

Introduction: The Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ) has good psychometric properties. However, we have recently modified the FFABQ (mFFABQ) to improve the clarity of the questions and Likert responses. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of this modified version in older adults and people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

A Single Application of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Fails to Enhance Motor Skill Acquisition in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to numerous impairments in motor function that compromise the ability to perform activities of daily living. Practical and effective adjunct therapies are needed to complement current treatment approaches in PD. Transcranial direct current stimulation applied to the cerebellum (c-tDCS) can increase motor skill in young and older adults.

Cognitive-motor dual-task interference in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and prodromal neurodegeneration: A scoping review.

Background: Cognitive-motor interference (CMI) is a common deficit in Alzheimer's (AD) disease and Parkinson's disease (PD) and may have utility in identification of prodromal neurodegeneration. There is lack of consensus regarding measurement of CMI resulting from dual task paradigms.

Research Question: How are individuals with AD, PD, and prodromal neurodegeneration impacted by CMI as measured by dual-task (DT) performance?

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in six datasets using the PRISMA guidelines.

Building the Science of Physical Therapy: Conundrums and a Wicked Problem.

Producing science that supports the physical therapist profession in all its endeavors is critical to ensure that the best evidence is used in practice and education. In this Perspective, numerous conundrums are discussed that can constrain efforts to be productive in research in the academic institutions that serve as the intellectual centers of the discipline. Taken together, these conundrums and the conditions that create them collectively contribute to the wicked problem of how to generate sufficient evidence to support the practice of physical therapy.

Cortical thickness is related to cognitive-motor automaticity and attention allocation in individuals with Alzheimer's disease: a regions of interest study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a distinct pattern of cortical thinning and resultant changes in cognition and function. These result in prominent deficits in cognitive-motor automaticity. The relationship between AD-related cortical thinning and decreased automaticity is not well-understood.

Psychological Factors Associated With Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior in Parkinson's Disease: The Role of Depression, Anxiety, and Catastrophizing.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological factors (depression, anxiety, and catastrophizing) and fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 59 individuals with PD using hierarchical multiple regression.

Results: Disease severity (Movement Disorder Society - Unified PD Rating Scale) and catastrophizing (Consequences of Falling Questionnaire (CoF)) explained approximately 48.

Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior in Parkinson's Disease: Most Frequently Avoided Activities.

Background: Fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) is common in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives: The objectives of the study are to determine what activities are most avoided due to FFAB among people with PD and whether any associations exist with demographic factors or fall history.

Method: Cross-sectional analysis of 174 individuals with PD using the Modified FFAB Questionnaire.

The clinical impact of pain neuroscience continuing education on physical therapy outcomes for patients with low back and neck pain.

Objectives: Research suggests that attendance by physical therapists at continuing education (CE) targeting the management of low back pain (LBP) and neck pain does not result in positive impacts on clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine if therapists attending a self-paced 3-hour online Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) program was associated with any observed changes to patient outcomes and also clinical practice.

Methods: Participants were 25 different physical therapists who treated 3,705 patients with low back pain (LBP) or neck pain before and after they had completed an online PNE CE course.

A Novel Way of Measuring Dual-Task Interference: The Reliability and Construct Validity of the Dual-Task Effect Battery in Neurodegenerative Disease.

Background: Decreased automaticity is common among individuals with neurodegenerative disease and is often assessed using dual-task (DT) paradigms. However, the best methods for assessing performance changes related to DT demands remain inconclusive.

Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of a novel battery of DT measures (DT Effect-Battery (DTE-B)) encompassing three domains: task-specific interference, task prioritization, and automaticity.

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Measurement Properties of the Brazilian-Portuguese Version of the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire in Older Adults.

The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ) into Brazilian-Portuguese (FFABQ-B), and to examine its reliability and validity in Brazilian older adults. The FFABQ-B was translated and tested in 10 Brazilian older adults. We assessed 52 community-dwellers, 68.

A theoretical framework for addressing fear of falling avoidance behavior in Parkinson's disease.

Postural instability in Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with several downstream consequences that ultimately lead to a greater risk of falling. Among the prominent downstream consequences is fear of falling (FOF), which is both common and problematic in PD. It can lead to a vicious cycle of FOF avoidance behavior that results in more sedentary behavior, physical deconditioning, and weakening of already impaired balance systems.

Coordinated speech therapy, physiotherapy, and pharmaceutical care telehealth for people with Parkinson disease in rural communities: an exploratory, 8-week cohort study for feasibility, safety, and signal of efficacy.

Introduction: The potential for coordinated, multidisciplinary telehealth to help connect people with Parkinson disease (PD) in rural areas to PD specialists is crucial in optimizing care. Therefore, this study aimed to test the feasibility, safety, and signal of efficacy of a coordinated telehealth program, consisting of speech therapy, physiotherapy, and pharmaceutical care, for people with PD living in some rural US communities.

Methods: Fifteen individuals with PD living in rural Wyoming and Nevada, USA, participated in this single-cohort, 8-week pilot study.

Factors predicting fear of falling avoidance behavior in parkinsonisms.

Background: Fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) is common in parkinsonisms and results in potentially mitigable downstream consequences.

Objective: Determine the characteristics of individuals with parkinsonisms most associated with FFAB.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from medical records data of 142 patients with parkinsonisms.

A vicious cycle of fear of falling avoidance behavior in Parkinson's disease: A path analysis.

Background: Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with several negative downstream consequences.

Objective: The purpose was to explore the validity of a theoretical model of these downstream consequences arranged in a vicious cycle wherein PI leads to decreased balance confidence, which in turn leads to increased fear of falling (FOF) avoidance behavior, which in turn leads to decreased physical conditioning, which then feeds back and negatively affects PI.

Methods: A path analysis of cross-sectional data from 55 participants with PD was conducted.

Long-Term Application of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Improve Motor Learning in Parkinson's Disease.

Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (c-tDCS) enhances motor skill acquisition and motor learning in young and old adults. Since the cerebellum is involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD), c-tDCS may represent an intervention with potential to improve motor learning in PD. The primary purpose was to determine the influence of long-term application of c-tDCS on motor learning in PD.

Physical Therapy for Gait, Balance, and Cognition in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment: A Retrospective Analysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if a pragmatic physical therapy (PT) program was associated with improved cognition, gait, and balance in individuals with cognitive impairment. This study investigated these associations for individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in order to better characterize outcomes to PT for each diagnostic group.

Methods: Data before and after one month of physical therapy were extracted from patient records (67 with AD, 34 with VaD, 35 with DLB, and 37 with MCI).

An Acute Application of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Improve Motor Performance in Parkinson's Disease.

Transcranial direct current stimulation of the cerebellum (c-tDCS) improves motor performance in young and old adults. Based on the cerebellar involvement in Parkinson's disease (PD), c-tDCS could have potential to improve motor function in PD. The purpose was to determine the effects of c-tDCS on motor performance in PD while participants were on medications.

A Mobile App Specifically Designed to Facilitate Exercise in Parkinson Disease: Single-Cohort Pilot Study on Feasibility, Safety, and Signal of Efficacy.

Background: Many people with Parkinson disease do not have access to exercise programs that are specifically tailored to their needs and capabilities. This mobile app allows people with Parkinson disease to access Parkinson disease-specific exercises that are individually tailored using in-app demographic questions and performance tests which are fed into an algorithm which in turn produces a video-guided exercise program.

Objective: To test the feasibility, safety, and signal of efficacy of a mobile app that facilitates exercise for people with Parkinson disease.