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Investigating the Neural Signature of Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

Investigating the Neural Signature of Freezing of Gait Using Ambulatory Electroencephalography in Parkinson's Disease

Status
Enrolling by invitation
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06841718
Acronym
FOG-EEG
Enrollment
28
Registered
2025-02-24
Start date
2024-11-04
Completion date
2026-09-30
Last updated
2025-02-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Basal Ganglia Diseases, Brain Disease, Freezing of Gait, Movement Disorders, Neurodegenerative Disease, Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Parkinson's Disease, electroencephalography (EEG), freezing of gait, gait problems

Brief summary

Freezing of Gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and a leading cause for falls. Current medical management is inadequate to alleviate FOG so there is need for improved treatments. A major draw-back in the development of better treatments for FOG is the difficulty in detecting episodes and our poor understanding of its underlying pathophysiology. This study will investigate the cortical signature of FOG using ambulatory electroencephalography (EEG) to help improve FOG detection algorithms and provide novel insights into the underlying pathophysiology, which together will guide therapy development.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

KU Leuven
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) made by a Neurologist\* 2. Modified Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) Stage I to IV in the ON medication state 3. Age above 18 years\* 4. Able to walk 5 minutes while unassisted by a walker or another person (the use of a cane is allowed).\* 5. Mini Mental State Examination\>= 21 6. At least three hours in-between regular medication intakes to allow for stable testing time.\* 7. Self-reported FOG with a severity of at least 1 FOG episode per day, based on items 1 and 2 of the New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, irrespective of FOG occurring ON- or OFF-medication.\* 8. Stable medication scheme for at least 7 days before enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

1. Participation in another clinical intervention study\* 2. Acute musculoskeletal or other neurological, psychiatric, or cardiovascular conditions affecting gait or any other medical condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, may prevent the participant from completing the protocol in full 3. Unable to adhere to assessment procedures leading to missing or unusable data, as determined by the investigators 4. Not a stable medication scheme for at least 7 days before the assessment.\* 5. Occurrence of any of the following within 3 months prior to informed consent: * Orthopedic surgery of the lower extremity * Myocardial infarction * Hospitalization for unstable angina * Coronary artery bypass graft * Percutaneous coronary intervention * Implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy device * Implantation of deep brain stimulation 6. Substance abuse that may interfere with the patient's compliance

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Power spectral density (Watts/hertz) of beta frequenciesDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)The averaged power spectral density (PSD) of the beta (12-25 Hz) frequency band measured over the motor cortices during freezing of gait (FOG) episodes compared to typical gait performance in the same individual with Parkinson's disease as measured during different walking trajectories in the home setting.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Power spectral density (Watts/hertz) of theta frequencies bandsDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)The averaged power spectral density (PSD) of the theta (4-7 Hz) frequency band measured over the prefrontal cortices during freezing of gait (FOG) episodes compared to typical gait performance in the same individual with Parkinson's disease as measured during different walking trajectories in the home setting.
Cross-frequency coupling between beta and theta frequency bandsDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)The averaged cross-frequency coupling (CFC) between the beta (12-25 Hz) and theta (4-7 Hz) frequency bands as measured over the motor and prefrontal cortices during freezing of gait (FOG) episodes compared to typical gait performance in the same individual with Parkinson's disease as measured during different walking trajectories in the home setting.
Power spectral density (Watts/hertz) and cross-frequency coupling (CFC) of beta and theta frequencies bands over other cortical areas.During walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)The averaged power spectral density (PSD) of the beta (12-25 Hz) and theta (4-7 Hz) frequency band measured over other cortical areas (prefrontal, motor, temporal, parietal, visual) during freezing of gait (FOG) episodes compared to typical gait performance in the same individual with Parkinson's disease as measured during different walking trajectories in the home setting.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Power spectrum density and cross-frequency coupling in ON medication stateDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)Comparing the PSD/CFC of the primary and secondary outcomes averaged across all FOG episodes to typical gait performance during optimal ON medication state (1 hour post-medication intake)
Power spectrum density and cross-frequency coupling in OFF medication stateDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)Comparing the PSD/CFC of the primary and secondary outcomes averaged across all FOG episodes to typical gait performance during the practically defined OFF medication state (after minimal 12 hours overnight withdrawal).
Comparing the Power spectrum density and cross-frequency coupling in ON and OFF medication stateDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)Comparing the PSD/CFC averaged across all FOG episodes compared to typical gait performance between OFF and ON medication states
Comparing the Power spectrum density and cross-frequency coupling between different FOG manifestationsDuring walking protocol (duration 15-20 minutes)Comparing the averaged PSD/CFC between the different FOG manifestations (Akinetic vs. Kinetic FOG trembling vs. Kinetic non-trembling vs. Kinetic-festination) in the ON and OFF medication states.

Countries

Belgium

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026