Bridging the callosal gap in gait: corpus callosum white matter integrity's role in lower limb coordination.

Bilateral coordination of the lower extremities is an essential component of mobility. The corpus callosum bridges the two hemispheres of the brain and is integral for the coordination of such complex movements. The aim of this project was to assess structural integrity of the transcallosal sensorimotor fiber tracts and identify their associations with gait coordination using novel methods of ecologically valid mobility assessments in persons with multiple sclerosis and age-/gender-matched neurotypical adults.

The assessment of center of mass and center of pressure during quiet stance: Current applications and future directions.

This perspective article provides a brief review of our understanding of how center of pressure (CoP) and center of mass (CoM) are traditionally utilized to measure quiet standing and how technological advancements are allowing for measurements to be derived outside the confines of a laboratory setting. Furthermore, this viewpoint provides descriptions of what CoP and CoM outcomes may reflect, a discussion of recent developments in selected balance outcomes, the importance of measuring instantaneous balance outcomes, and directions for future questions/research. Considering the enormous number and cost of falls annually, conclusions drawn from this perspective underscore the need for more cohesive efforts to advance our understanding of balance performance.

Performance fatigability during gait in adults with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Background: Fatigue is common in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (pwCMT) disease. However, no studies have characterized performance fatigability during gait in this population. Characterizing performance fatigability during gait, and assessing its relation to life satisfaction could improve understanding and treatment of mobility challenges in pwCMT.

Advanced characterization of static postural control dysfunction in persons with multiple sclerosis and associated neural mechanisms.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune-based chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the neurodegeneration of the central nervous system and produces postural dysfunction. Quiet or static standing is a complex task carried out through afferent sensory inputs and efferent postural corrective outputs. Currently the mechanisms underlying these outputs remain largely unknown.

A temporal analysis of bilateral gait coordination in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Gait performance often dictates an individual's ability to navigate the dynamic environments of everyday living. With each stride, the lower extremities move through phases of stance, swing, and double support. Coordinating these motions with high accuracy and consistency is imperative to constraining the center of mass within the base of support, thereby maintaining balance.

Rehabilitation to improve gaze and postural stability in people with multiple sclerosis: study protocol for a prospective randomized clinical trial.

Background: The use of vestibular rehabilitation principles in the management of gaze and postural stability impairments in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) has shown promise in pilot work completed in our lab and in a recently published randomized clinical trial (RCT). However, further work is needed to fully quantify the gaze and postural impairments present in people with multiple sclerosis and how they respond to rehabilitation.

Methods/design: The study is a single blind RCT designed to examine the benefit of a gaze and postural stability (GPS) intervention program compared to a standard of care (SOC) rehabilitation program in dizzy and balance impaired PwMS.

A unique Vgamma5-T-cell population in the murine mammary gland.

Mammary epithelia and the epidermis share a common embryologic origin. Like resident epidermal T cells (ETC), a significant number of murine mammary gland T cells (MTC) express Vgamma5-T-cell receptors (TCR). MTC were assessed to see if they express the same invariant Vgamma5/Vdelta1-TCRs as those of ETC.