Photo Credit: AaronAmat
The following is a summary of “Step to the Beat: Auditory-motor coupling during walking to Higher and Lower Tempi with Music and Metronomes in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: an observational study,” published in the November 2024 issue of Neurology by Vanbilsen et al.
Many people with progressive multiple sclerosis (PwPMS) experience significant fatigue and challenges with walking, impacting their daily lives.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to assess the ability of PwPMS to synchronize their walking to auditory cues.
They conducted a case-control study where PwPMS and healthy controls (HCs) synchronized the steps while walking overground to music and metronomes at 5 different tempi (-8%, -4%, 0%, +4%, +8%).
The results showed that both groups could synchronize the steps to beats in music and metronomes. Still, the highest synchronization consistency was reached for metronome conditions compared to music conditions and for HCs (mean age = 56.5) compared to PwPMS (mean age = 52.4, median Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] = 4.24). The highest synchronization consistency for PwPMS was found at -4% and 0%. Additionally, more variability in inter-step intervals, indicating a more anti-persistent gait pattern, was observed for metronome compared to music conditions. Lower performance on the Timed Up & Go Test negatively impacted synchronization consistency.
They concluded that PwPMS can synchronize the steps to beats in music and metronomes, although they struggle to adapt gait speed to higher tempos.
Source: msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(24)00728-4/abstract
