Freezing of Gait: Clinical, Cognitive, and Imaging Features

Completed

Conditions studied: Parkinson Disease

In brief

Freezing of gait (FOG) is among the most disabling motor features of Parkinson disease (PD) and is present in other forms of parkinsonism as well. FOG is a brief (usually lasting \<30 seconds) episode of absence or a greatly reduced forward movement of the feet despite intention to walk. It typically occurs when patients initiate gait (so-called "start hesitation") and when attempting to turn. It is a leading cause of falls and often results in a wheelchair-dependent state. FOG greatly interferes with activities of daily living, causes social isolation and poor quality of life. FOG is one of the least understood features of PD. It possibly may develop independent of the other motor features of the disease, and be caused by specific pathological changes in the brain. Previous studies on FOG have shown conflicting information and have not lead to clear understanding of the pathophysiology. One key reason for this is that there appears to be multiple subtypes which have rarely been taken into account. The purpose of this study is to show that different types of FOG exist and to see if there is a connection to cognitive differences or gait patterns.

Key facts

Study ID
NCT02387281
Run by
Emory University
People needed
60
Starts
2015-03-01
Expected to finish
2017-11-13
Last updated by the study team
2018-04-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

Where it is running

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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