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Almeida LEF, Wang L, Kamimura S, Zerfas PM, Smith ML, Neto OLA, Vale T, Quezado MM, Horkayne-Szakaly I, Wakim P, Quezado ZMN. Locomotor mal-performance and gait adaptability deficits in sickle cell mice are associated with vascular and white matter abnormalities and oxidative stress in cerebellum. Brain Res 2020; 1746:146968. [PMID: 32533970 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) can develop strokes and as a result, present neurologic and neurocognitive deficits. However, recent studies show that even without detectable cerebral parenchymal abnormalities on imaging studies, SCD patients can have significant cognitive and motor dysfunction, which can present as early as during infancy. As the cerebellum plays a pivotal role in motor and non-motor functions including sensorimotor processing and learning, we examined cerebellar behavior in humanized SCD mice using the Erasmus ladder. Homozygous (sickling) mice had significant locomotor malperformance characterized by miscoordination and impaired locomotor gait/stepping pattern adaptability. Conversely, Townes homozygous mice had no overall deficits in motor learning, as they were able to associate a conditioning stimulus (high-pitch warning tone) with the presentation of an obstacle and learned to decrease steptimes thereby increasing speed to avoid it. While these animals had no cerebellar strokes, these locomotor and adaptive gait/stepping patterns deficits were associated with oxidative stress, as well as cerebellar vascular endothelial and white matter abnormalities and blood brain barrier disruption, suggestive of ischemic injury. Taken together, these observations suggest that motor and adaptive locomotor deficits in SCD mice mirror some of those described in SCD patients and that ischemic changes in white matter and vascular endothelium and oxidative stress are biologic correlates of those deficits. These findings point to the cerebellum as an area of the central nervous system that is vulnerable to vascular and white matter injury and support the use of SCD mice for studies of the underlying mechanisms of cerebellar dysfunction in SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E F Almeida
- Department of Perioperative Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Center for Neuroscience Research and The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's Research Institute, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20010, USA
| | - Sayuri Kamimura
- Department of Perioperative Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Patricia M Zerfas
- Office of Research Services, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Meghann L Smith
- Department of Perioperative Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Osorio L Abath Neto
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ticiana Vale
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Martha M Quezado
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Iren Horkayne-Szakaly
- Neuropathology and Ophthalmic Pathology, Joint Pathology Center, Defense Health Agency, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Paul Wakim
- Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Service, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Zenaide M N Quezado
- Department of Perioperative Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Abstract
The cerebellum plays an integral role in the control of limb and ocular movements, balance, and walking. Cerebellar disorders may be classified as sporadic or hereditary with clinical presentation varying with the extent and site of cerebellar damage and extracerebellar signs. Deficits in balance and walking reflect the cerebellum's proposed role in coordination, sensory integration, coordinate transformation, motor learning, and adaptation. Cerebellar dysfunction results in increased postural sway, hypermetric postural responses to perturbations and optokinetic stimuli, and postural responses that are poorly coordinated with volitional movement. Gait variability is characteristic and may arise from a combination of balance impairments, interlimb incoordination, and incoordination between postural activity and leg movement. Intrinsic problems with balance lead to a high prevalence of injurious falls. Evidence for pharmacologic management is limited, although aminopyridines reduce attacks in episodic ataxias and may have a role in improving gait ataxia in other conditions. Intensive exercises targeting balance and coordination lead to improvements in balance and walking but require ongoing training to maintain/maximize any effects. Noninvasive brain stimulation of the cerebellum may become a useful adjunct to therapy in the future. Walking aids, orthoses, specialized footwear and seating may be required for more severe cases of cerebellar ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan F Marsden
- Department of Rehabilitation, School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
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Hoogkamer W, Potocanac Z, Van Calenbergh F, Duysens J. Quick foot placement adjustments during gait are less accurate in individuals with focal cerebellar lesions. Gait Posture 2017; 58:390-393. [PMID: 28888908 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Online gait corrections are frequently used to restore gait stability and prevent falling. They require shorter response times than voluntary movements which suggests that subcortical pathways contribute to the execution of online gait corrections. To evaluate the potential role of the cerebellum in these pathways we tested the hypotheses that online gait corrections would be less accurate in individuals with focal cerebellar damage than in neurologically intact controls and that this difference would be more pronounced for shorter available response times and for short step gait corrections. We projected virtual stepping stones on an instrumented treadmill while some of the approaching stepping stones were shifted forward or backward, requiring participants to adjust their foot placement. Varying the timing of those shifts allowed us to address the effect of available response time on foot placement error. In agreement with our hypothesis, individuals with focal cerebellar lesions were less accurate in adjusting their foot placement in reaction to suddenly shifted stepping stones than neurologically intact controls. However, the cerebellar lesion group's foot placement error did not increase more with decreasing available response distance or for short step versus long step adjustments compared to the control group. Furthermore, foot placement error for the non-shifting stepping stones was also larger in the cerebellar lesion group as compared to the control group. Consequently, the reduced ability to accurately adjust foot placement during walking in individuals with focal cerebellar lesions appears to be a general movement control deficit, which could contribute to increased fall risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter Hoogkamer
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.
| | - Zrinka Potocanac
- Department for Automation, Biocybernetics and Robotics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Ida H, Mohapatra S, Aruin A. Control of vertical posture while elevating one foot to avoid a real or virtual obstacle. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:1677-1687. [PMID: 28271221 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-4929-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the control of vertical posture during obstacle avoidance in a real versus a virtual reality (VR) environment. Ten healthy participants stood upright and lifted one leg to avoid colliding with a real obstacle sliding on the floor toward a participant and with its virtual image. Virtual obstacles were delivered by a head mounted display (HMD) or a 3D projector. The acceleration of the foot, center of pressure, and electrical activity of the leg and trunk muscles were measured and analyzed during the time intervals typical for early postural adjustments (EPAs), anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs). The results showed that the peak acceleration of foot elevation in the HMD condition decreased significantly when compared with that of the real and 3D projector conditions. Reduced activity of the leg and trunk muscles was seen when dealing with virtual obstacles (HMD and 3D projector) as compared with that seen when dealing with real obstacles. These effects were more pronounced during APAs and CPAs. The onsets of muscle activities in the supporting limb were seen during EPAs and APAs. The observed modulation of muscle activity and altered patterns of movement seen while avoiding a virtual obstacle should be considered when designing virtual rehabilitation protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirofumi Ida
- Department of Sports and Health Management, Jobu University, Isesaki, Gunma, Japan.
| | - Sambit Mohapatra
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Alexander Aruin
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Chang YT, Huang CF, Chang JH. The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Obstacle Crossing Strategy in Older Adults. Res Sports Med 2015; 23:315-29. [PMID: 26114218 DOI: 10.1080/15438627.2015.1040920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Tai Chi Chuan on the strategies of obstacle-crossing behavior in older adults aged over 65 years. Fifteen Tai Chi group (TCG) participants were compared with 15 general group (GG) participants. Kinematic parameters (by Vicon motion analysis system) and ground reaction forces (by Kistler force plates) were synchronously recorded. A two-way mixed-design ANOVA (α = 0.05) was used to test the effects of the group and the obstacle height. The TCG performed significantly faster stride velocities, longer stride lengths, and shorter stride times than GG while crossing the obstacles. TCG could also produce significantly larger forward ground reaction forces to propel the body and were able to make a significantly greater flexion angle of the hip of the leading leg compared with the GG. It was concluded that the TCG adopted a different strategy with GG to cross the obstacles and completed the crossing behavior more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Ting Chang
- a Department of Physical Education , National Taiwan Normal University , Taiwan
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Vinueza Veloz MF, Zhou K, Bosman LWJ, Potters JW, Negrello M, Seepers RM, Strydis C, Koekkoek SKE, De Zeeuw CI. Cerebellar control of gait and interlimb coordination. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 220:3513-36. [PMID: 25139623 PMCID: PMC4575700 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0870-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic and intrinsic processing in Purkinje cells, interneurons and granule cells of the cerebellar cortex have been shown to underlie various relatively simple, single-joint, reflex types of motor learning, including eyeblink conditioning and adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. However, to what extent these processes contribute to more complex, multi-joint motor behaviors, such as locomotion performance and adaptation during obstacle crossing, is not well understood. Here, we investigated these functions using the Erasmus Ladder in cell-specific mouse mutant lines that suffer from impaired Purkinje cell output (Pcd), Purkinje cell potentiation (L7-Pp2b), molecular layer interneuron output (L7-Δγ2), and granule cell output (α6-Cacna1a). We found that locomotion performance was severely impaired with small steps and long step times in Pcd and L7-Pp2b mice, whereas it was mildly altered in L7-Δγ2 and not significantly affected in α6-Cacna1a mice. Locomotion adaptation triggered by pairing obstacle appearances with preceding tones at fixed time intervals was impaired in all four mouse lines, in that they all showed inaccurate and inconsistent adaptive walking patterns. Furthermore, all mutants exhibited altered front–hind and left–right interlimb coordination during both performance and adaptation, and inconsistent walking stepping patterns while crossing obstacles. Instead, motivation and avoidance behavior were not compromised in any of the mutants during the Erasmus Ladder task. Our findings indicate that cell type-specific abnormalities in cerebellar microcircuitry can translate into pronounced impairments in locomotion performance and adaptation as well as interlimb coordination, highlighting the general role of the cerebellar cortex in spatiotemporal control of complex multi-joint movements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kuikui Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laurens W J Bosman
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan-Willem Potters
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mario Negrello
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert M Seepers
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christos Strydis
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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