Virtual Reality and Fear of Falling in Parkinson's Disease

Summary

Background: Falls are common in elderly individuals and those with neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease causes postural instability and mobility issues that lead to falls and reduced quality of life. The fear of falling (FoF), a natural response to unstable balance, can exacerbate postural control problems. However, evaluating FoF relies primarily on subjective self-reports due to a lack of objective assessment methods.

Objectives: This mixed-methods feasibility study aims to develop an objective method for assessing fear of falling during motion and walking using virtual reality. This protocol examines a range of FoF-related responses, including cognitive, neuromuscular, and postural stability factors.

Methods: Individuals without and with Parkinson's disease will complete questionnaires, movement tasks, and walking assessments in real and virtual environments where FoF can be elicited using virtual reality (VR) technology. Data from center-of-pressure measurements, electromyography, heart rate monitoring, motion capture, and usability metrics will evaluate the method's acceptability and safety. Semi-structured interviews will gather participants' and researchers' experiences of the protocol.

Discussion: This method may allow accurate assessment of how FoF impacts movement by measuring cognitive, neuromuscular, and postural responses during gait and motion. Virtual environments reproduce real-life scenarios that trigger FoF. Rigorously assessing FoF with this approach could demonstrate its ability to quantify the effects of FoF on movement.

Conclusions: This protocol aims to improve FoF assessment by evaluating multiple responses during movement in virtual environments. It addresses current measures' limitations. A feasibility study will identify areas for improvement specific to Parkinson's disease. Successful validation could transform how FoF is evaluated and managed.

Conditions

• Parkinson
• Parkinson Disease
• Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Virtual reality

Virtual environment that triggers fear of falling

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Electroencephalogram

Detect brain waves in response to fear of falling

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Electromyography

Measures muscle activity and response to fear of falling

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Motion Capture system

Measures postural and gait responses to fear of falling

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Polar H10 Heart Sensor

Heart rate monitor

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Inertial measurement Unite

Measure Postural sway

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ain Shams University

  collaborator OTHER

• Ahram Canadian University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Yasmine S Gomaa, Ph.d · Kafrelsheikh University

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-07-17

Primary Completion

2025-09-30

Completion

2026-01-31

Countries

• Egypt

Study Locations