Other Gait Disorders

This chapter focuses on one of the most common types of movement disorders: altered walking (Nutt et al. Movement Disorders 26:1166-1174, 2011). As walking is affected by many of the diseases discussed in other chapters of this book, from Parkinson's disease to various causes of ataxia, those disorders will not be discussed again, but this chapter will focus on other disorders of gait and specifically on neuroimaging of gait. For this reason, it is introduced by a brief description of the neurobiological underpinning of walking, stressing on information that is critical for imaging, namely, the anatomical representation of gait and balance mechanisms. This background is essential not only in order to direct the relevant imaging tools to the regions more likely to be affected but also to interpret correctly imaging findings that may not be related to the walking deficit object of clinical study.