Quantitative Balance and Posture Measurement in Patients with Alzheimer Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia (Essay Sample)

Book Summary and Critical Review
Name
Institution
Book Summary and Critical Review
Book Summary
The Journal presents results of research conducted on Quantitative Balance and Posture Measurement in Patients with Alzheimer Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia. It is structured into, abstract, introduction, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion. In the introduction, the researchers note that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are the utmost prevalent neurodegenerative dementia. Morbidity in persons suffering from AD and FTD is common as a result of falls. In the methodology section, the researchers use eight patients of the same age and gender comparing them with a control group. AD and FTD groups were enrolled from the Geriatric and Neurology outpatient clinic while the control group included healthy volunteers from the surrounding community. The three clusters had their dynamic balance, limits of stability and gait assessed using Biodex Balance Master. The results showed the subclinical involvement of gait and balance in all groups especially when the patients were multitasking. Patients with both FTD and AD showed association overall ambulation index balance. The API and OBI of the dynamic balance for the control group and FTD group differed significantly between single versus dual task. In assessing limits of stability, FTD patient had challenges balancing on forward and lateral direction. AD patients struggled to balance in backward direction while the individuals in the control group had difficulty in left and forward direction. In general, Frontotemporal Dementia group performed worse in comparison to all the other groups in all subcomponent of balance. The study shows that gait problems exist in patients with AD and FTD as well as in healthy elderly. Older persons with the AD and FDT are more susceptible to balance problems. Hence the identification of varying patterns in subclinical stage may help to differentiate normal aging from cortical dementias. These findings may aid in initiating appropriate postural support training techniques to avert future falls.
Book Review
Introduction and Literature Review
The abstract clearly and concisely elaborates on the introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. To establish the background of the study and justify the need for the study, the authors use academically appropriate and authoritative sources such as past studies and peer-reviewed articles. Furthermore, the author presents references accurately throughout the journal article. However, some sources such as the article by Sudarsky may be outdated since it was published over 27 years ago from the time of the study. Even though the literature review is appropriate and authoritative, it is not sufficient and does not emphasis on the critical comparison of different methodologies to identify gaps, flaws, and inconsistencies in theory and practice.
Research Design and Methodology
The study population included twenty-four male subjects of ages between 50-70 years divided into three sets of eight each. Since the study focused on men only and the sample size single sourced, replication of the results to female populations may not be accurate. More so the sample size of 24 participants is small thus the researcher may not be able to make vast generalizations about the findings.
To ensure the protection of the study subject, the researchers sought informed consent from the subjects and sought clearance from Institute Ethical Committee. Exclusion criteria included subjects with the visual deficit and cardiovascular ailments. Using controls was important in understanding the variations among the study group. However, the research did not elaborate on the methodology used to select the control group or the confounding factors among the control group.
Data collection procedure involved collection of gait data, dynamic balance, and stability limits hence informed the rationale behind the use of Biodex Balance Master Incorp equipment. The study utilized more than two trials each lasting 20 seconds to establish the reliab...