Visual Cues for Turning in Parkinson's Disease

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Movement Disorders
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Turning impairment is a significant mobility issue in Parkinson’s disease (PD), increasing freezing of gait (FoG) and fall risk.
• Visual cues can enhance general gait in PD, but their specific impact on turning deficits is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare how individuals with and without FoG in PD respond to visual cues during turning.
• To investigate the correlation between FoG severity and the response to visual cues during turning.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory interventional study involving 43 participants with PD (22 with FoG) and 20 controls.
• Turning performance (180° and 360° turns) was measured using an inertial sensor with and without visual cues (starred pattern).
• Linear mixed effects models analyzed turn duration and velocity changes in response to visual cues.

Main Results:

• Individuals with FoG exhibited slower and longer turns compared to those without FoG and controls.
• Visual cues reduced 180° turning velocity in all groups and 360° turning velocity in PD without FoG and controls.
• FoG severity did not show a significant association with the response to visual cues during turning.

Conclusions:

• Visual cueing can modulate turning in PD, with effects influenced by FoG status and turn amplitude.
• Slower turning with visual cues may reflect a more cautious or attention-driven movement strategy.
• Findings support the therapeutic application of visual cues for improving turning in PD, especially for individuals experiencing FoG.