@article{FarinelliPalmisanoMarcheseetal.2020,
  author    = {Farinelli, Veronica and Palmisano, Chiara and Marchese, Silvia Maria and Strano, Camilla Mirella Maria and D'Arrigo, Stefano and Pantaleoni, Chiara and Ardissone, Anna and Nardocci, Nardo and Esposti, Roberto and Cavallari, Paolo},
  title     = {Postural control in children with cerebellar ataxia},
  series = {Applied Sciences},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Applied Sciences},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {2076-3417},
  doi       = {10.3390/app10051606},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200692},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Controlling posture, i.e., governing the ensemble of involuntary muscular activities that manage body equilibrium, represents a demanding function in which the cerebellum plays a key role. Postural activities are particularly important during gait initiation when passing from quiet standing to locomotion. Indeed, several studies used such motor task for evaluating pathological conditions, including cerebellar disorders. The linkage between cerebellum maturation and the development of postural control has received less attention. Therefore, we evaluated postural control during quiet standing and gait initiation in children affected by a slow progressive generalized cerebellar atrophy (SlowP) or non-progressive vermian hypoplasia (Joubert syndrome, NonP), compared to that of healthy children (H). Despite the similar clinical evaluation of motor impairments in NonP and SlowP, only SlowP showed a less stable quiet standing and a shorter and slower first step than H. Moreover, a descriptive analysis of lower limb and back muscle activities suggested a more severe timing disruption in SlowP. Such differences might stem from the extent of cerebellar damage. However, literature reports that during childhood, neural plasticity of intact brain areas could compensate for cerebellar agenesis. We thus proposed that the difference might stem from disease progression, which contrasts the consolidation of compensatory strategies.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{IsaiasBrumbergPozzietal.2020,
  author    = {Isaias, Ioannis U. and Brumberg, Joachim and Pozzi, Nicol{\´o} G. and Palmisano, Chiara and Canessa, Andrea and Marotta, Giogio and Volkmann, Jens and Pezzoli, Gianni},
  title     = {Brain metabolic alterations herald falls in patients with Parkinson's disease},
  series = {Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1002/acn3.51013},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235982},
  pages     = {579-583},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Pathophysiological understanding of gait and balance disorders in Parkinson's disease is insufficient and late recognition of fall risk limits efficacious followup to prevent or delay falls. We show a distinctive reduction of glucose metabolism in the left posterior parietal cortex, with increased metabolic activity in the cerebellum, in parkinsonian patients 6-8 months before their first fall episode. Falls in Parkinson's disease may arise from altered cortical processing of body spatial orientation, possibly predicted by abnormal cortical metabolism.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PalmisanoBrandtVissanietal.2020,
  author    = {Palmisano, Chiara and Brandt, Gregor and Vissani, Matteo and Pozzi, Nicol{\´o} G. and Canessa, Andrea and Brumberg, Joachim and Marotta, Giorgio and Volkmann, Jens and Mazzoni, Alberto and Pezzoli, Gianni and Frigo, Carlo A. and Isaias, Ioannis U.},
  title     = {Gait Initiation in Parkinson's Disease: Impact of Dopamine Depletion and Initial Stance Condition},
  series = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology},
  issn      = {2296-4185},
  doi       = {10.3389/fbioe.2020.00137},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200801},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Postural instability, in particular at gait initiation (GI), and resulting falls are a major determinant of poor quality of life in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). Still, the contribution of the basal ganglia and dopamine on the feedforward postural control associated with this motor task is poorly known. In addition, the influence of anthropometric measures (AM) and initial stance condition on GI has never been consistently assessed. The biomechanical resultants of anticipatory postural adjustments contributing to GI [imbalance (IMB), unloading (UNL), and stepping phase) were studied in 26 unmedicated subjects with idiopathic PD and in 27 healthy subjects. A subset of 13 patients was analyzed under standardized medication conditions and the striatal dopaminergic innervation was studied in 22 patients using FP-CIT and SPECT. People with PD showed a significant reduction in center of pressure (CoP) displacement and velocity during the IMB phase, reduced first step length and velocity, and decreased velocity and acceleration of the center of mass (CoM) at toe off of the stance foot. All these measurements correlated with the dopaminergic innervation of the putamen and substantially improved with levodopa. These results were not influenced by anthropometric parameters or by the initial stance condition. In contrast, most of the measurements of the UNL phase were influenced by the foot placement and did not correlate with putaminal dopaminergic innervation. Our results suggest a significant role of dopamine and the putamen particularly in the elaboration of the IMB phase of anticipatory postural adjustments and in the execution of the first step. The basal ganglia circuitry may contribute to defining the optimal referent body configuration for a proper initiation of gait and possibly gait adaptation to the environment.},
  language  = {en}
}