Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40559318›Full record

ArticleNeurology international2025

Evaluation of Sensory and Motor Function in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Using Quiet Stance and Reactive Postural Control.

Joseph A Shrader, Ashwini Sansare, Allison C Niemic, Rafael Jiménez-Silva, Joshua G Woolstenhulme, Galen O Joe, Uma Jacobs, Angela Kokkinis, Kenneth Fischbeck, Chris Grunseich and 1 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Neurology international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Frequency and Circumstances of Falls Events in People Living With Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Joseph A ShraderRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8174-0745
Ashwini SansareRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Allison C NiemicRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Rafael Jiménez-SilvaRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Joshua G WoolstenhulmeRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Galen O JoeRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Uma JacobsRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-7542-2646
Angela KokkinisNeurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-5683-1415
Kenneth FischbeckNeurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Chris GrunseichNeurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Cris ZampieriRehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4632-7941

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSpinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an X-linked neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness, along with muscle cramps, tremors, and sensory neuropathy. Previous research has shown that patients with SBMA have difficulty with dynamic balance and sensory postural control during quiet stance. There have been no reports on automatic postural reactions in SBMA.

objectivesIn this study, we aimed (1) to augment previous findings of sensory postural control, (2) to investigate automatic postural reactions in SBMA, and (3) to explore the relationship between strength and balance.

designA cross-sectional design was used for the analysis.

participantsThe participants were fifty male individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of SBMA. OUTCOME MEASURES: Balance testing included the NeuroCom modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB), which measures sway velocity during quiet stance, and the NeuroCom Motor Control Test (MCT), which measures the latency and strength of postural reactions following sudden perturbations. Strength testing included maximal voluntary isometric contractions measured via fixed-frame dynamometry.

resultsForty-seven out of fifty participants were able to complete the mCTSIB test, but only thirty-eight completed the MCT test. Patients who were unable to complete the MCT were significantly weaker in all lower extremity muscles compared to those who were able to complete testing. Compared to normative data, participants showed significantly higher sway velocity during quiet stance across all conditions of the mCTSIB, except when standing on foam with eyes open. They also exhibited significantly slower postural reactions in response to sudden shifts of the force plate on the MCT. Plantarflexor weakness was significantly correlated with poor postural control on the mCTSIB and MCT.

conclusionsThis study confirms previously reported abnormalities of sensory postural control in SBMA and highlights patients' heavy reliance on visual inputs for postural control. Additionally, this study shows that automatic postural corrections are slower than normal in SBMA and provides a unique approach for measuring the combined sensory and motor components of the disease. Both the sensory and automatic balance abnormalities were found to be associated with plantarflexor weakness and may contribute to a higher risk of falls under challenging situations. Therefore, addressing this weakness may be an important step toward fall prevention in this population.

Indexed as

automatic postural reflexesbalanceKennedy’s Diseaseposturographysensory postural controlSpinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophystrength

Identifiers

PMID40559318
PMCPMC12196303

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.