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Herman T, Barer Y, Bitan M, Sobol S, Giladi N, Hausdorff JM. A meta-analysis identifies factors predicting the future development of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2023; 9:158. [PMID: 38049430 PMCID: PMC10696025 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-023-00600-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating problem that is common among many, but not all, people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Numerous attempts have been made at treating FOG to reduce its negative impact on fall risk, functional independence, and health-related quality of life. However, optimal treatment remains elusive. Observational studies have recently investigated factors that differ among patients with PD who later develop FOG, compared to those who do not. With prediction and prevention in mind, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of publications through 31.12.2022 to identify risk factors. Studies were included if they used a cohort design, included patients with PD without FOG at baseline, data on possible FOG predictors were measured at baseline, and incident FOG was assessed at follow-up. 1068 original papers were identified, 38 met a-priori criteria, and 35 studies were included in the meta-analysis (n = 8973; mean follow-up: 4.1 ± 2.7 years). Factors significantly associated with a risk of incident FOG included: higher age at onset of PD, greater severity of motor symptoms, depression, anxiety, poorer cognitive status, and use of levodopa and COMT inhibitors. Most results were robust in four subgroup analyses. These findings indicate that changes associated with FOG incidence can be detected in a subset of patients with PD, sometimes as long as 12 years before FOG manifests, supporting the possibility of predicting FOG incidence. Intriguingly, some of these factors may be modifiable, suggesting that steps can be taken to lower the risk and possibly even prevent the future development of FOG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Herman
- Center for the Study of Movement, Cognition and Mobility, Neurological Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yael Barer
- Maccabitech, Maccabi Institute for Research and Innovation, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal Bitan
- School of Computer Science, The College of Management, Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Shani Sobol
- Center for the Study of Movement, Cognition and Mobility, Neurological Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nir Giladi
- Center for the Study of Movement, Cognition and Mobility, Neurological Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jeffrey M Hausdorff
- Center for the Study of Movement, Cognition and Mobility, Neurological Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Taylor NL, Wainstein G, Quek D, Lewis SJG, Shine JM, Ehgoetz Martens KA. The Contribution of Noradrenergic Activity to Anxiety-Induced Freezing of Gait. Mov Disord 2022; 37:1432-1443. [PMID: 35384055 PMCID: PMC9540856 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Freezing of gait is a complex paroxysmal phenomenon that is associated with a variety of sensorimotor, cognitive and affective deficits, and significantly impacts quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite a growing body of evidence that suggests anxiety may be a crucial contributor to freezing of gait, no research study to date has investigated neural underpinnings of anxiety‐induced freezing of gait. Objective Here, we aimed to investigate how anxiety‐inducing contexts might “set the stage for freezing,” through the ascending arousal system, by examining an anxiety‐inducing virtual reality gait paradigm inside functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods We used a virtual reality gait paradigm that has been validated to elicit anxiety by having participants navigate a virtual plank, while simultaneously collecting task‐based fMRI from individuals with idiopathic PD with confirmed freezing of gait. Results First, we established that the threatening condition provoked more freezing when compared to the non‐threatening condition. By using a dynamic connectivity analysis, we identified patterns of increased “cross‐talk” within and between motor, limbic, and cognitive networks in the threatening conditions. We established that the threatening condition was associated with heightened network integration. We confirmed the sympathetic nature of this phenomenon by demonstrating an increase in pupil dilation during the anxiety‐inducing condition of the virtual reality gait paradigm in a secondary experiment. Conclusions In conclusion, our findings represent a neurobiological mechanistic pathway through which heightened sympathetic arousal related to anxiety could foster increased “cross‐talk” between distributed cortical networks that ultimately manifest as paroxysmal episodes of freezing of gait. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha L Taylor
- ForeFront PD Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gabriel Wainstein
- ForeFront PD Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dione Quek
- ForeFront PD Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Simon J G Lewis
- ForeFront PD Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James M Shine
- ForeFront PD Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.,Centre for Complex Systems, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
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Janeh O, Steinicke F. A Review of the Potential of Virtual Walking Techniques for Gait Rehabilitation. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:717291. [PMID: 34803632 PMCID: PMC8595292 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.717291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) technology has emerged as a promising tool for studying and rehabilitating gait disturbances in different cohorts of patients (such as Parkinson's disease, post-stroke, or other neurological disorders) as it allows patients to be engaged in an immersive and artificial environment, which can be designed to address the particular needs of each individual. This review demonstrates the state of the art in applications of virtual walking techniques and related technologies for gait therapy and rehabilitation of people with movement disorders makes recommendations for future research and discusses the use of VR in the clinic. However, the potential for using these techniques in gait rehabilitation is to provide a more personalized approach by simulate the experience of natural walking, while patients with neurological disorders are maintained localized in the real world. The goal of our work is to investigate how the human nervous system controls movement in health and neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Janeh
- Department of Computer Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Frank Steinicke
- Human-Computer Interaction, Department of Informatics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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