Publications

This study examined whether virtual reality environments exacerbated spatiotemporal gait impairments among people with Parkinson disease and freezing of gait. Simulations of environments known to provoke freezing of gait were presented using immersive virtual reality during overground walking. People with Parkinson disease walked more slowly, with shorter, wider, and more variable steps, when walking in virtual doorway, hallway, and crowd environments compared to the physical laboratory environment.

• Morris R, Martini DN, Smulders K, Kelly VE, Zabetian CP, Poston K, Grabowski TJ, Montine TJ, Quinn JF, Horak F. Cognitive associations with comprehensive gait and balance measures in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 69: 104-110, 2019; PMCID: PMC6900452

This study used wearable sensors to quantify balance and gait impairments in people with Parkinson disease. Consistent with Dr. Kelly’s prior work, gait and balance were associated with specific cognitive domains. Gait variables associated with pace and variability were associated with cognitive domains of attention and executive function, while balance variables associated with sway were associated with attention and visuospatial function.

• Morgan SJ, Hafner BJ, Kelly VE. The effects of a concurrent task on walking in persons with transfemoral amputation compared to persons without limb loss. Prosthetics and Orthotics International 40(4): 490-496, 2016; PMID: 26209423
• Kelly VE, Johnson CO, McGough EL, Shumway-Cook A, Horak FB, Chung KA, Espay AJ, Revilla FJ, Devoto J, Wood-Siverio C, Factor SA, Cholerton BA, Edwards KL, Peterson AL, Quinn JF, Montine TJ, Zabetian CP, Leverenz JB. Association of cognitive domains with postural instability/gait impairment in Parkinson disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 21(7): 692-697, 2015; PMCID: PMC4524498

This study examined associations between cognition and the motor signs of postural instability and gait impairment among a large cohort of people with Parkinson disease. Cognitive assessments were broad and encompassed both global cognition and domains of executive function, memory, visuospatial function, and language. Deficits in global executive function, and memory were associated with more severe postural instability and gait impairment. Specific cognitive domains were also differentially related to distinct balance and gait impairments, supporting the idea that multiple neural pathways contribute to the common control of cognition, balance, and gait.

• McGough EL, Kelly VE, Ciol MA, Logsdon RG, McCurry SM, Cochrane BB, Engel JM, Teri L. Associations between physical performance and executive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: gait speed and the timed “up and go” test. Physical Therapy Journal 91(8): 1198-1207, 2011; PMCID: PMC3145896
• Kelly VE, Eusterbrock AJ, Shumway-Cook A. A review of dual-task walking deficits in people with Parkinson’s disease: motor and cognitive contributions, mechanisms, and clinical implications. Parkinson’s Disease 918719, 2012; PMCID: PMC3205740