Degradation of postural control system as a consequence of Parkinson's disease and ageing

In this study we have shown how Parkinson's disease and ageing affect the postural control system. Our investigation of that system has involved analysis of quiet-standing center of pressure (COP) trajectories. Using the method derived from Langevin equation, we have found disease-specific and age-specific changes in the dynamics of the COP. These findings were obtained from a comparison of the diffusion matrix, the friction coefficient and the matrix of the fluctuation strength for healthy young, healthy elderly and parkinsonian (elderly) subjects under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Especially the analysis of the friction coefficient and the matrix of the fluctuation strength have allowed the more detailed study of the postural control system of the parkinsonian and elderly subjects. We have found that the healthy elderly as well as parkinsonian subjects exhibit larger level of the muscular stochastic activity, compared to the young subjects. Furthermore, closure their eyes causes further increment of that activity. We have also shown that for the healthy elderly subjects a compensating mechanism, which can be described by the friction coefficient, acts under eyes-closed conditions, whereas for parkinsonian subjects this mechanism was not observed. Thus, the increase of the muscular activity is an age-specific indicator, whereas the absence of the compensation of that increase is a disease-specific indicator. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.