Session Information
Date: Monday, June 20, 2016
Session Title: Parkinson's disease: Non-motor symptoms
Session Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To compare GAITRite parameters between PD patients on antidepressants with patients who were not on any psychotropic.
Background: PD patients have an increased risk of falls. We previously reported that antidepressants were the only class of psychotropics independently associated with falls. How these drugs affect gait parameters is still not known. The GAITRite is a walkaway system validated for PD providing temporospatial measures of gait.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of PD patients with GAITRite analysis was conducted. Subjects only on antidepressants (n=26) and those not receiving antidepressants or psychotropics (n=73) were included. GAITRite parameters were compared and analyzed. An independent t-test for normally distributed variables and a Mann-Whitney U test for not-normally distributed variables were used to analyse data.
Results: The total cohort was composed of 70% male patients, mean age of 66.4 years, 8.7 years of disease duration, mean UPDRS-III “on” score 23.9, 87% on levodopa, and 25% had DBS. No significant differences in demographics and clinical characteristics between groups were observed. The GAITRite analysis showed that velocity (109.6 vs. 105.6 sec, U=903, p=0.72), cadence (106.4 vs. 103.9 steps/min, F=0.67, p=0.41), functional ambulation performance score (90.6 vs. 87.4, U=904, p=0.72), stride length left (123.3 vs. 121.4 cm, F=1.2, p=0.28), stride length right (123.2 vs. 121.3 cm, F=1.49, p=0.23), step time left (0.57 vs. 0.59 sec, U=937, p=0.92), step time right (0.57 vs. 0.59 sec, U=922, p=0.83), swing time left (0.4 vs. 0.42 sec, F=1.03, p=0.31), and swing time right (0.39 vs. 0.4 sec, F=0.68, p=0.41) were not significantly different between the compared groups.
Conclusions: Antidepressants didn’t seem to affect temporospatial measures of gait in PD patients when analyzed by the GAITRite system. It remains unknown why antidepressants may increase fall risk in PD.
Submitted to AAN 2016. Result of acceptance pending.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
D. Martinez-Ramirez, J.C. Giugni, W. Deeb, M.S. Okun, C.J. Hass. Effects of antidepressants on gait parameters in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-antidepressants-on-gait-parameters-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed May 9, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-antidepressants-on-gait-parameters-in-parkinsons-disease/