Action Observation Theraphy in Parkinson's Disease

Summary

The main objective of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of Observation of Action (Action Observation, AO) both in increasing the speed of movement of the upper limbs, agility and locomotion, and in improving the activities and quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) during a 4-6 month follow-up. The second objective is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a tele-rehabilitation protocol using home-based AO therapy. The telecommunication technology will provide a complete training through a low-cost software run on a touch-screen device, which will show the actions to be imitated several times by people with PD. This project will be the first attempt to implement AO-based treatment at home and, if successful, will be highly translational to clinical practice thanks to the advanced development and broad accessibility of information technology and telecommunications in our country. Furthermore, continuous exercise will reduce the risks of complications and the frequency of hospital admissions, thus reducing costs for the National Health System.

Conditions

• Parkinson Disease

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Live movement observation (Upper Limbs)

All participants will be subjected to two 15-minute sessions per day of the Live movement observation of the upper limbs. The activities of the upper limbs will be based on some relevant activities of daily life such as drinking from a glass, combing, opening a box or eating an apple. The tasks will be both unimanual and bimanual. Every day, before starting the physical training, the patient will be asked to look carefully at the therapist who shows 20 different daily routine activities (actions) performed with the upper limb.

BEHAVIORAL

Video Observation (Upper Limbs)

All participants will be subjected to two 15-minute sessions per day of the video observation of upper limbs movements. The activities of the upper limbs will be based on some relevant activities of daily life such as drinking from a glass, combing, opening a box or eating an apple. The tasks will be both unimanual and bimanual. Every day, before starting the physical training, the patient will be asked to carefully watch a video showing 20 different daily routine activities (actions) performed with the upper limb.

BEHAVIORAL

Live Movement Observation (Lowe Limbs)

All participants will be subjected to two 15-minute sessions per day of the Live movement observation of the lower limbs. Tasks to avoid freezing will be based on strategies such as touching the thigh, taking side or back steps, counting out loud while walking. Every day, before starting the physical training, the patient will be asked to carefully watch the therapist who will show 20 different movement strategies to avoid episodes of freezing the pace (FOG).

BEHAVIORAL

Video Observation (Lower Limbs)

All participants will be subjected to two 15-minute sessions per day of the video observation of lower limbs movements. Tasks to avoid freezing will be based on strategies such as touching the thigh, taking side or back steps, counting out loud while walking. Every day, before starting the physical training, the patient will be asked to carefully watch a video that will show 20 different movement strategies to avoid episodes of freezing the pace (FOG).

BEHAVIORAL

Static Picture Observation and Upper Limbs Exercise

Participants will watch for 3 minutes 5 static images that expose objects, none will represent animals or people. The participant's attention will be kept high through a cognitive task. The patient will be presented a sequence of images for 3 minutes, the images will be displayed separately, each for 30 seconds, and then during the last 30 seconds, they will be displayed together with an intrusive image (intruder) that the patient you will be asked to identify so that your attention span can be controlled in real time. Participants will then be invited to perform limb movements as far as possible for 2 minutes according to a standard sequence involving joint mobilisations of upper limbs, and simulating that performed by the experimental groups.

BEHAVIORAL

Static Picture Observation and Lower Limbs Exercise

Participants will watch for 3 minutes 5 static images that expose objects, none will represent animals or people. The participant's attention will be kept high through a cognitive task. The patient will be presented a sequence of images for 3 minutes, the images will be displayed separately, each for 30 seconds, and then during the last 30 seconds, they will be displayed together with an intrusive image (intruder) that the patient you will be asked to identify so that your attention span can be controlled in real time. Participants will then be invited to perform limb movements as far as possible for 2 minutes according to a standard sequence involving joint mobilisations of lower limbs, and simulating that performed by the experimental groups.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Genova

  collaborator OTHER

• Università Politecnica delle Marche

  collaborator OTHER

• IRCCS San Camillo, Venezia, Italy

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Francesco Infarinato, PhD · IRCCS San Raffaele

• Patrizio Sale, PhD · Univesity of Padua

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-04-22

Primary Completion

2018-07-31

Completion

2018-10-31

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations