Limits of stability as a constraint of the virtual whole-body motor skill learning in Parkinson’s disease

Miguel A. G. Rocha; Tatiana B. Freitas; Cicero L. A. Costa; Keyte G. Silva; José E. Pompeu; Camila Torriani-Pasin; Giordano M. G. Bonuzzi

doi:10.20338/bjmb.v20i1.565

Limits of stability as a constraint of the virtual whole-body motor skill learning in Parkinson’s disease

Authors

Miguel A. G. Rocha Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3789-4194
Tatiana B. Freitas Laboratory of Motor Behavior, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São Paulo, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9566-3821
Cicero L. A. Costa Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil; Department of Physical Education, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Brazil; Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4428-5111
Keyte G. Silva Department of Physiotherapy, Speech and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4125-785X
José E. Pompeu Department of Physiotherapy, Speech and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-6110
Camila Torriani-Pasin Department of Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences, University of Texas, El Paso, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7173-8390
Giordano M. G. Bonuzzi Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil; Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Brazil; Faculty of Physical Education, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil - [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3751-2857

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20338/bjmb.v20i1.565

Keywords:

Parkinson’s disease, Motor learning, Virtual reality, Postural balance, Posturography, Neurological rehabilitation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s disease (PD) can impair postural control and reduce functional limits of stability (LOS), which may constrain exploration and learning in whole-body motor tasks.

AIM: This study investigated whether practicing whole-body virtual motor tasks changes LOS and whether LOS is associated with motor learning outcomes in adults with PD and age-matched healthy controls.

METHODS: Twenty-five adults aged ≥50 years participated: 12 with PD and 13 healthy controls. Participants with PD were assessed in the medication ON state. Participants practiced four Kinect Adventures! games across 12 sessions. Game performance was assessed at pre-test, post-test, and one-month retention. LOS was assessed at pre-test and post-test using a center-of-pressure targeting task. LOS changes were examined with a mixed repeated-measures ANOVA. Structural equation modeling tested whether baseline LOS and practice-related individual variability in LOS (ΔLOS) predicted retained in-game scores.

RESULTS: The Group × Moment interaction for LOS was significant, but Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons did not identify significant pairwise differences. There were no main effects of Group or Moment. Baseline LOS did not significantly predict retention performance. In contrast, ΔLOS significantly predicted retention performance, explaining 15.4% of the variance in the latent retention outcome.

INTERPRETATION: Whole-body virtual task practice did not produce a uniform group-level increase in LOS. However, ΔLOS significantly predicts retention performance, suggesting that individual variability during acquisition is associated with long-term motor learning outcomes in adults with PD and healthy older adults.

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Published

2026-06-03

How to Cite

Rocha, M. A. G., Freitas, T. B., Costa, C. L. A., Silva, K. G., Pompeu, J. E., Torriani-Pasin, C., & Bonuzzi, G. M. G. (2026). Limits of stability as a constraint of the virtual whole-body motor skill learning in Parkinson’s disease. Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior, 20(1), e565. https://doi.org/10.20338/bjmb.v20i1.565

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Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Research articles

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