title: Gait Performance and Use of Mental Imagery as a Measure of Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gait and balance are key determinants of disease status in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study aims at testing the relationship between the imagery of gait and disability in patients with ALS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five consecutive patients (63.8 ± 2.4 years; 52% female) performed the timed up and go (TUG) test and a validated imagined version of the TUG between March 2011 and May 2012. The revised ALS functional rating score (ALSFRS-R) was assessed simultaneously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean duration of TUG (16.7 ± 2.2 s) was significantly longer than imagined TUG (iTUG; 10.5 ± 1.4 s, p < 0.001). The TUG (R2 = 0.40, p = 0.001) and the iTUG (R2 = 0.30, p = 0.007) were significantly associated with results of the ALSFRS-R score (37.0 ± 7.3) as well as with muscle strength in arms (TUG R2 = 0.42, p < 0.001, iTUG R2 = 0.38, p = 0.001) and legs (TUG R2 = 0.47, p < 0.001, iTUG R2 = 0.46, p < 0.001). TUG and iTUG increased with age (TUG R2 = 0.18, p = 0.04, iTUG R2 = 0.12, p = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ALS patients performed the imagined gait faster than the real gait. Both TUG and iTUG correlated with disability measured by the ALSFRS-R score and by muscle strength. These inexpensive and easy clinical tests represent promising tools in clinical practice to study gait in ALS.
authors.affiliation: Center for ALS and Related Disorders, Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ruxandra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iancu Ferfoglia
authors.forename: Anne-Chantal
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Heritier Barras
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.forename: Pierre-Francois
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Pradat
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Allali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged