Verbal fluency task affects gait in Parkinson's disease with motor freezing

We examined the effects of a simultaneous verbal fluency task on walking in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with freezing of gait (PD-F) compared to nonfreezing patients (PD-NF) or control subjects (C). Effects of antiparkinsonian medications on gait in PD-F were examined. PD-F patients exhibited a greater increase in the number of steps to complete the walk with verbal fluency, even when the effect of medication was taken into account (mean increase +/- SD): PD-F = 4.2 +/- 4.6, n = 10; PD-NF = 0.1 +/- 1.6, n = 9; C = 1.5 +/- 1.5, n = 19; P = .007. Medications improved walking in PD-F patients by decreasing the number of steps, the time to walk, and freezing. PD-F patients may be more dependent on attention for walking.