Balance performance in people with Parkinson’s disease Effects of subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation

............................................................................................. 7 Svensk sammanfattning .................................................................... 9 Thesis at a glance ............................................................................. 11 Abbreviations ................................................................................... 12 Definitions ........................................................................................ 13 Introduction ..................................................................................... 15 I. Balance ....................................................................................... 15 II. Parkinson’s disease ................................................................... 19 III. Balance, falls and fear of falling in people with PD ................ 21 IV. Treatments for Parkinson’s disease ......................................... 24 Aims of the Thesis ............................................................................ 27 Methods ............................................................................................ 33 Results ............................................................................................... 47 Discussion ......................................................................................... 57 Major Conclusions ........................................................................... 67 Implications and future perspectives ............................................. 69 Acknowledgements .......................................................................... 71 References ........................................................................................ 73