While persons with early stage Parkinson's disease (EPD) typically demonstrate minor levels of physical impairment and disability, 10,21 they often have difficulty with transitional movements. 66 To date, most of the studies evaluating such transitional movements in persons with PD have focused on those individuals in advanced stages of the disease; little is known in regards to persons with EPD. The primary objective of this dissertation was to characterize dynamic postural control utilized in response to increased task demands during transitional locomotor tasks in persons with EPD. To achieve this goal, three separate studies were undertaken.;The purpose of study ;The purpose of study ;The purpose of study ;Taken together, findings from this dissertation provides evidence that persons with EPD select a postural control strategy that decreases disequilibrium and mobility, and increases stability, during more complex locomotor tasks. Additionally, it demonstrates that functional impairments can be detected during more complex locomotor activities, even in the early stages of PD, when clinical signs of gait disturbance are often absent. This information may be used to quantify disease severity, develop task specific interventions for persons with EPD, and examine the effects of such interventions.
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