Deficits in task-specific modulation of anticipatory postural adjustments in individuals with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy

We examined whether individuals with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SDCP) have the ability to utilize lower leg muscles in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) associated with voluntary arm movement while standing, as well as the ability to modulate APAs with changes in the degree of postural perturbation caused by arm movement. Seven individuals with spastic diplegia (SDCP group, 12-22 yr of age) and seven age- and sex-matched individuals without disability (control group) participated in this study. Participants flexed both shoulders and lifted a load under two different load conditions, during which electromyographic activities of focal and postural muscles were recorded. Although the timing of anticipatory activation of the erector spinae and medial hamstring (MH) muscles was similar in the two participant groups, that of the gastrocnemius (GcM) muscle was significantly later in the SDCP group than in the control group. An increase in anticipatory postural muscle activity with an increase in load was observed in MH and GcM in the control group but not in GcM in the SDCP group. The degree of modulation in MH was significantly smaller in the SDCP group than in the control group. An additional experiment confirmed that these differences in APAs between the two participant groups were unlikely to be attributable to their differences in initial standing posture before load lift. The present findings suggest that lower leg muscles play a minor role in APAs in individuals with spastic diplegia. In addition, it is likely that these individuals have difficulty modulating anticipatory postural muscle activity with changes in the degree of postural perturbation.