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Gait function in adults with Williams syndrome

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Abstract

Despite early neurological reports of gait abnormalities in Williams syndrome (WS), a rare genetically based neurodevelopmental disorder, there has not yet been any systematic investigation of gait dysfunction in this disorder. The current study examined the gait characteristics in adults with WS and a neurologically normal control group as they walked at self-selected slow, preferred and fast speeds using the GAITRite walkway. The WS group showed hypokinetic gait, which manifested as reduced gait speed and stride length, but with a disproportionate increase in cadence (stepping frequency) as speed was increased. The WS group also showed increased variability of stride length and a broad based stepping pattern implicating a compensatory strategy for postural instability. Performance IQ correlated significantly with stride length in the WS group. While these results should be considered preliminary due to the small sample size, these findings have implications for our understanding of the neural basis of gait dysfunction in WS.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded through an Australian Postgraduate Award to the first author, with infrastructure support through the Clinical Neurobiology of Psychiatry Platform (CNPP) and the Neurosciences Victoria (NSV) platform. We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Bruce Tonge, Prof. Steward Einfeld, the Williams Syndrome Family Support Group (VIC) and Genetic Health Services Victoria for their assistance with recruitment of WS participants, and the research participants and their families for devoting their time to the study. We are grateful to Dr. Ashwini Nayate, Dr. Peter Enticott, Dr. Anna Murphy, Kate Ward, and Susan Wilson at the Kingston Centre for their assistance with this study. We are grateful to Dr. Simon Moss and Dr. John Taffe for statistical advice. We thank Dr. Nadia Boscaglia for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Building 1, 270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, VIC, 3168, Australia

    Darren R. Hocking, Nicole J. Rinehart & John L. Bradshaw

  2. Experimental Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    John L. Bradshaw

  3. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia

    Jennifer L. McGinley

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  1. Darren R. Hocking
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  2. Nicole J. Rinehart
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  3. Jennifer L. McGinley
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  4. John L. Bradshaw
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Correspondence to Darren R. Hocking.

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Hocking, D.R., Rinehart, N.J., McGinley, J.L. et al. Gait function in adults with Williams syndrome. Exp Brain Res 192, 695–702 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1586-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1586-3

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