Projects

Ongoing projects

Virtual Reality for Freezing of Gait in Parkinson Disease

Freezing of gait is defined as a brief disturbance of walking in which people feel as though they cannot take a step despite efforts to do so.  It is a common gait impairment among people with Parkinson disease.  In this study, we are working with people who have Parkinson disease and freezing of gait to understand how spatiotemporal and kinematic aspects of walking are impacted when walking in virtual simulations of environments known to provoke freezing.  We compare overground walking in our laboratory without virtual reality to walking in virtual doorway, hallway, and crowd environments to better understand, assess, and treat freezing of gait.

Impact of Cognitive Impairment on the Response to Gait Rehabilitation

This study examines the impact of cognitive impairment on motor learning and transfer in non-demented individuals with Parkinson disease.  People with Parkinson disease complete a 2-week gait training program.  Before and after the program, we assess walking as well as a variety of complex walking tasks, like obstacle crossing, turning, and walking backward.

Medication Effects on Balance and Gait in Parkinson Disease

Medications for Parkinson disease have variable effects on balance and gait.  In this study, people with Parkinson disease completed instrumented assessments of balance and gait after withholding their medications for Parkinson disease overnight (off medication) and again after taking their medications (on medication).  In addition to understanding how medication affects various domains of balance and gait, we are studying the clinical and demographic characteristics associated with the response to medication.

Completed Recent Projects

Influence of Genetics on the Response to Exercise in People with Parkinson Disease: Gen-Ex Study

This study examined the effect of specific genotypes on the cognitive and motor response to exercise in people with Parkinson disease. People with Parkinson disease completed a 10-week gait rehabilitation and aerobic exercise program. Cognition and gait were assessed before, during, and after the exercise program.

Pending projects

None at this time