Gait apraxia

Question 1

Do we learn gait?

Answer 1

no it is instinctual, stepping movements are early in development

Question 2

What patterns of gait are present at birth?

Answer 2

stepping patterns

Question 3

What are operational synergies?

Answer 3

they are contained in the spinal cord in the form of central pattern generators (CPGs)

Question 4

What can we do consciously to the organized synergies?

Answer 4

we can modify them based upon environmental demands

Question 5

What structures are involved in gait?

Answer 5

integrated control of cortical areas, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and spinal cord

Question 6

how do abnormalities of gait occur?

Answer 6

with dysfunction of a variety of nervous system structures

Question 7

What is ataxic gait?

Answer 7

-wide base of support with irregular/erratic weight shifts and velocity

Question 8

What structure is the origin of ataxic gait?

Answer 8

cerebellum

Question 9

What is a tabetic gait? (aka sensory ataxia)

Answer 9

-wide base of support, high stepping (steppage), foot drop, irregular/erratic cadence, ataxia

Question 10

What is tabetic gait due to?

Answer 10

peripheral nerve damage

Question 11

What does the term tabetic gait come from?

Answer 11

tabies dorsalis - syphilitic cell death of DRG cells but may be due to other conditions

Question 12

What is a hemiplegic (spastic gait)?

Answer 12

-slow, stiff leg, circumduction, foot drop, flexed arm posture with no swing

Question 13

What is a hemiplegic gait caused by?

Answer 13

cerebral stroke

Question 14

What is diplegic gait?

Answer 14

often faster, ataxic, stiff leg, circumducted, adducted, hip and knees flexed, plantar flexion, foot drop, flexed arm posture with no swing.

Question 15

What pathology is common to have diplegic gait?

Answer 15

cerebral palsy

Question 16

What is parkinsonian gait?

Answer 16

• slow, stiff, shuffling gait, no arm swing, but can be a quick, short stepping

Question 17

What is a dyskinetic gait?

Answer 17

-rapid, fragmented movement intrusions, ataxia, dance like movement

Question 18

What is dyskinetic gait often caused by?

Answer 18

basal nuclei damage (caudate or subthalamic nucleus)

Question 19

What is apraxia?

Answer 19

the lack of motor plan to perform voluntary movement (inability to perform a task)

Question 20

What are the four forms of apraxia?

Answer 20

ideational
ideomotor
kinetic
oral

Question 21

What is ideational apraxia?

Answer 21

the inability to organize single actions into a sequence for intended purpose as in the loss of knowledge of the movement

Question 22

What is ideational apraxia caused by?

Answer 22

cortical in origin, no specific area, but parieto occipital area is very important

Question 23

What is ideomotor apraxia>

Answer 23

the inability to translate the idea of the action into an appropriate motor program

Question 24

ideomotor apraxia is lacking what?

Answer 24

proper sequencing of movement

Question 25

what is ideomotor apraxia most associated with?

Answer 25

damage to the supramarginal gyrus or superior parietal lobule

Question 26

What is kinetic apraxia?

Answer 26

form of clumsiness, loss of hand and finger dexterity, not due to paresis, ataxia or sensory loss.

Question 27

What is kinetic apraxia typically caused by?

Answer 27

damage to the pre motor cortex

Question 28

What is oral apraxia?

Answer 28

the inability to execute facial movements on command and is due to damage of the inferior frontal gyrus contiguous with broca’s area

Question 29

Why do oral apraxia and motor aphasia often coexist?

Answer 29

because of the anatomical proximity of the distributed neural networks subserving praxis and language exists in the left, dominant hemisphere