Study Rationale: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating – and not well understood - symptom impacting many patients with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). FOG can occur during any stage of the disease but is more common among those with advanced Parkinson’s. FOG significantly impacts quality of life by reducing mobility, increasing falls and injury, and potentially leading to decreased social participation and increased anxiety. The precise mechanisms that trigger FOG are not fully understood, and we seek to define the onset of FOG by monitoring cognitive and motor skills to improve diagnosis, treatment, and management of this debilitating symptom.
Hypothesis: We predict that by integrating retrospective data from gait analyses, neurocognitive assessments, and subjective reports from PwPD, we will generate a data-driven roadmap for clinicians to predict and monitor the onset of FOG in their patients, leading to more effective, personalized, and patient-centric treatment plans.
Study Design: Digital motor and cognitive data collected during routine clinical care for 300 PwPD will be retrospectively curated from electronic health records (EHR) into an analyzable dataset. We will compare these with subjective patient reported outcome (PRO) data quantifying FOG (NFOG) to explore the motor-cognitive intersection that contributes to the onset of FOG. Gait, cognitive, and NFOG data for these patients will be collected from NextGen and Epic EHR. We will conduct a detailed analysis of all data to provide actionable insights for more effective clinical interventions related to FOG.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease: By combining objective data measurements with subjective patient reports, we seek a deeper understanding of FOG progression through a comprehensive analysis of predictive markers. These insights will enable clinicians to develop more personalized, responsive interventions and treatment plans, thereby improving the quality of life of PwPD and their caregivers.
Next Steps for Development: We will share results and actionable plans via conference abstracts and peer-reviewed journals. Uptake of digital exams to proactively design and implement interventions for at-risk PwPD in clinical practice is light, as both are reimbursable and require minimal training for technicians.
Trial Phase: Retrospective study.