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Understanding Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

This study is looking into how the brain and balance system contribute to "freezing of gait" (FOG) in people with Parkinson's disease. Researchers will use electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS), which gently stimulates the balance system, and electroencephalography (EEG), which measures brain activity, to understand FOG during movements like starting to walk or turning. The study aims to find out what causes FOG and identify brain signals linked to it. You may be able to join if you have Parkinson's disease (with or without FOG) or are a healthy older adult, between 40 and 80 years old, and can walk independently. The study will measure things like how your trunk muscles move and ground reaction force. The current recruitment status is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 75 participants. It involves different experiments using EVS and EEG.
What's involved
You can choose to participate in one or more experiments, which involve EVS during walking or turning, or EEG during walking. Any two visits will be separated by at least one week.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Measurements will be taken at one day and up to 3 days.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06506058

Vestibular and Cortical Contributions to Transitions in Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

Recruiting
NAAges 21–80InterventionalBasic science
University of Minnesota
~75 participants
Updated 2026-03-19 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:EVS and EEG

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
timing of trunk muscle torque production
Measured over one day
+10 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

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Parkinson Disease

NCT06506058

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • University of Minnesota, Movement Disorders Lab

    Minneapolis, Minnesotastudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Sommer Huffmaster, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Minnesota

Who to contact

Madison Aasen, MS
[email protected]
612-505-8325
Email the study team

Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Diagnosis of idiopathic PD.
Age 40-80 years.
Able to ambulate independently without the use of an assistive device (e.g. cane) for 50 meters. Healthy Older Adults (Control participants)
Age 40-80 years (this group will be age- and sex-matched to the PD and FOG group).
Able to ambulate independently without the use of an assistive device (cane or walker).
Normal capacity to perform complex activities of daily living independently based on informant or physician report. Healthy Young Adults
Age 21-44 years (this group will be sex-matched to the PD and FOG group)
Able to ambulate independently without the use of an assistive device (cane or walker)

Exclusion

Any musculoskeletal disorder that affects the ability to stand or walk.
History of musculoskeletal disorders that significantly affect movement of lower limbs.
Uncorrected visual impairment that may affect participation or performance in the study.
History of visual and/or vestibular conditions that may affect participation or performance in the study.
Meet criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies, Multiple Systems Atrophy, Alzheimer's disease, dementia diagnosis, or other neurodegenerative disorder other than Parkinson's disease.
History of seizures, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, or traumatic brain injury or other significant neurological disorders that may affect participation or performance in the study.
History of muscular conditions of the neck and back, including whiplash.
History of surgery on blood vessels, brain, or heart.
Unexplained, recurring headaches or concussion within the last six months.
Moderate to severe hearing impairment.
Subjects who are pregnant
Reduced capacity to consent. This will be assessed using a 2-stage process. Initially, participants will be tested using the University of California, San Diego, Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC). If the results of the UBACC are inconclusive the individual will be further tested using the MacArthur Competency Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (McCAT-CR).
History of motion sickness (as EVS can exacerbate motion sickness).
Intense physical exercise or consumption of alcohol in the 24 hours prior to any experiment that will include EVS testing.
Recent history of migraine headaches.
Intracranial metallic or magnetic devices.
Pacemaker or any implanted device.
Implanted deep brain stimulator or other neurosurgeries to treat PD.
Use of medications that can cause dizziness.
Presence of parkinsonism or cognitive impairment (including dementia or mild cognitive impairment).
Active central nervous system, systemic, psychiatric conditions or use of psychoactive medication that would adversely affect cognitive, neuropsychiatric, motor, or autonomic functioning.

What this trial measures

  • timing of trunk muscle torque productionone day

    Onset and offset times of the trunk muscle activity, relative to the start of the turn, as measured by electromyography sensors

  • amplitude of trunk muscle torque productionone day

    Magnitudes of trunk muscle activity during the turn, as measured by electromyography sensors

  • ground reaction forceup to 3 days

    The forces resulting from the participant pushing into the floor during turns and gait initiation, as measured by force plates under the feet

  • center of pressure measures of turning and steppingup to 3 days

    Participants will complete right/left 90 degree turns from standing on a pair of force plates (Kistler)

  • body segmental angular velocityone day

    The speed at which different body parts (e.g., head, thoracic spine, etc.) rotate during a turn, as measured by 24 reflective markers at various bony landmarks on the head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities, used to capture the whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture various bony landmarks on their head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities to capture whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture (Simi Motion).

  • motion onsetup to 3 days

    Time of initial movement of the body, as measured by 24 reflective markers at various bony landmarks on the head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities, used to capture the whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture various bony landmarks on their head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities to capture whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture (Simi Motion).

  • total distance excursionup to 3 days

    Distance moved, as measured by 24 reflective markers at various bony landmarks on the head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities, used to capture the whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture various bony landmarks on their head, trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities to capture whole-body kinematic motion via optical motion capture (Simi Motion).

  • Movement amplitudeone day

    Size of the movements, as measured by the manipulandum during repetitive movements

  • speed during the slow and fast epochsone day

    Speed of the movements, as measured by the manipulandum during repetitive movements

  • duration of freezing eventsone day

    Length of time during which movements are drastically decreased in size or speed nears zero, as measured by the manipulandum during repetitive movements

  • EVS coherenceup to 2 days

    1. A measure of the correlation between electrically evoked vestibular stimulation and the subsequent motor responses in the trunk and leg muscles prior to initiation of forward stepping or turning 2. Coherence between trunk or leg muscle activation and EVS, coherence between ground reaction forces and EVS electrically evoked vestibular stimulation and the subsequent motor responses in the trunk and leg muscles prior to initiation of forward stepping coherence between trunk/leg muscle activation and EVS, coherence between ground reaction forces and EVS.