Effect of Robot-assisted Gait Training on Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

Summary

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a common yet poorly understood motor symptom in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies have shown that bilateral uncoordinated gait and gait asymmetry are related to FOG, and that intensive treadmill training in PD patients can improve gait. However, no group has yet studied the effect of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) on FOG. The primary aim of this study is to collect pilot data on the effect of robot-assisted gait training in reducing episodes of freezing in PD.

Subjects with Parkinson's disease that experience freezing of gait will be recruited and enrolled following informed consent and screening for eligibility. Each of the 10 training session will last approximately one hour. Neurological evaluations, testing of gait parameters, and quality of life assessments will be conducted. Participants will also be asked to return for 1- and 3-month post-intervention assessments to see if the training has any lasting effects. Approximately 10-20 subjects will be enrolled, and the study will last up to 6 months.

Robot-assisted gait training will be conducted with the Lokomat (a treadmill with supplemental robot-assistance for moving the hip and knee). We will monitor changes in freezing by conducting various assessments.

There are approximately 1 million Americans with PD in the US. PD is a significant cause for reduced functional ability and quality of life, progressive disability. Patients with PD with FOG have indicated that this is one of their most disturbing symptoms, as there are no effective treatments. Therefore it is important that additional and alternative interventions for FOG be tested and developed.

Conditions

• Parkinson's Disease

Interventions

DEVICE

Lokomat

The Lokomat is a motor driven exoskeleton device that employs a body weight support suspension system and treadmill. Attached to the lower limbs, the Lokomat moves the subject's legs through position controlled trajectories that mimic normal human gait patterns. This is accomplished by utilizing high quality computer-controlled motors that are precisely synchronized with the speed of the treadmill. The hip and knee joint angles are controlled in real time by software to achieve kinematically correct stepping behaviors. Each of the four motor-driven joints is individually controlled to correspond precisely to the desired joint angle trajectories. This system assures a precise match between the speed of the limb trajectory and the treadmill. In addition, sensors in the motors provide an indirect indicator of the amount of effort the patient is generating to achieve walking in an upright posture.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• US Department of Veterans Affairs

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Albert Lo, MD PhD · Providence VA Medical Center

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2008-10-31

Primary Completion

2010-10-31

Completion

2010-10-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations