Quantitative evaluation of gait ataxia by accelerometers

An appropriate biomarker for spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) has not been identified. Here, we performed gait analysis on patients with pure cerebellar type SCD and assessed whether the obtained data could be used as a neurophysiological biomarker for cerebellar ataxia. We analyzed 25 SCD patients, 25 patients with Parkinson's disease as a disease control, and 25 healthy control individuals. Acceleration signals during 6 min of walking and 1 min of standing were measured by two sets of triaxial accelerometers that were secured with a fixation vest to the middle of the lower and upper back of each subject. We extracted two gait parameters, the average and the coefficient of variation of motion trajectory amplitude, from each acceleration component. Then, each component was analyzed by correlation with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Compared with the gait control of healthy subjects and concerning correlation with severity and disease specificity, our results suggest that the average amplitude of medial-lateral (upper back) of straight gait is a physiological biomarker for cerebellar ataxia. Our results suggest that gait analysis is a quantitative and concise evaluation scale for the severity of cerebellar ataxia.