Huntington´s disease and postural stability impairment

Huntington disease (HD), a hereditary neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by a triad of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Chorea is the major motor sign of HD. Choreic movements are continuously present and cannot be voluntarily suppressed by the patient. Posture is designed to maintain support against the force of gravity. The well-balanced activity of agonist and antagonist muscle groups stabilizes the given position of the body and its parts. Two information sources monitor the changes in body position: the head and the feet. The feet´s pressure receptors monitor changes in pressure distribution. The head has specialized vestibular and visual systems. Posture maintenance therefore presents an outstanding example of the somatosensory and motor system integration. During our preliminary study the HD patients´ postural stability will be measured usinga NeuroCom Balance machine. NeuroCom International is a specialised computerized tool for the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with balance and mobility disorders. Appropriate protocols were chosen from a broad spectrum. We emphasised visual and proprioceptive cues in the testing. The results are expected to show the pattern and abnormality of the postural balance in HD patients´ control according to the role of the basal ganglia in different aspects of postural control. The data could be used to prevent the fall of HD patient.
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