ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Motor Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1636813
This article is part of the Research TopicHow cognitive functions interact with the motor system to shape motor behaviorView all 9 articles
New Gait Performance Indices and Cognitive Functions: A Pilot Study on Correlation in People with Parkinson's Disease
Provisionally accepted
Elena Sofia Cocco1
Carrie-Louise Thouant1*
Luca Pietrosanti2
Francesco Infarinato1Carlotta Maria Manzia1
Paola Romano1Raimondo Torcisi1
Marco Franceschini1
Cristiano Maria Verrelli2
Sanaz Pournajaf1- 1IRCCS San Raffaele Roma srl, Roma, Italy
- 2Universita degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and involves impairment of both motor and cognitive functions, significantly affecting the quality of walking and consequently the quality of life of people affected by this disease. This study analyzed the relationship between gait alterations and cognitive deterioration, using validated clinical tests and an innovative indicator, the φ-bonacci gait number, which quantifies gait harmonicity, symmetry, and consistency. Kinematic data collected during the 6-Minute Walk test on 19 people with PD (pwPD) and 15 healthy adults were analyzed. The results highlighted a significant negative correlation between gait harmonicity and cognitive performance (φ-bonacci gait number – Time Up and Go Dual Task; r = 0.797, p < 0.05). Finally, mediation analysis showed that global cognitive function (MoCA) indirectly influences gait harmonicity through TUG-DT. The results suggest that gait in pwPD is strongly modulated by executive-attentional functions, supporting its cognitive modulation rather than purely automatic nature. This study allowed to explore the complex relationship between cognitive functions and the motor system, deepening how these interactions influence and refine motor behavior. Therefore, rehabilitation programs combining motor exercises and cognitive training could be more effective in improving gait quality, reducing the risk of falls, and improving persons' quality of life.
Keywords: Parkinson"s disease, gait analysis, cognitive functions, self-similarity, Lower limb rehabilitation, golden ratio, Fibonacci sequence, Walking gait
Received: 28 May 2025; Accepted: 10 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cocco, Thouant, Pietrosanti, Infarinato, Manzia, Romano, Torcisi, Franceschini, Verrelli and Pournajaf. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carrie-Louise Thouant, carrielouise.thouant@sanraffaele.it
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