Visuomotor Control in Parkinson Disease

Launched by NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL · Apr 2, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how people with Parkinson's disease (PD) process visual information and how it affects their movements, especially in daily activities like walking and writing. Researchers want to understand the differences in these abilities between people with PD who experience "freezing of gait" (FOG) – a sudden inability to move – and those who do not, as well as healthy individuals of similar ages. The study will involve 63 participants: 21 with FOG, 21 without FOG, and 21 healthy controls. Participants will take part in tasks that test their ability to move in response to visual cues, and researchers will also look at how the brain communicates during these tasks.

To be eligible for the trial, participants must be at least 18 years old, able to follow instructions, and have normal or corrected-to-normal vision to see a computer screen. Certain medical conditions, like other neurological disorders or severe injuries, may prevent someone from participating. Those who join the study can expect to complete some behavioral tests and undergo non-invasive brain assessments to explore how their visual and motor skills work together. The goal of this research is to better understand the links between visual processing and movement difficulties in PD, which could help develop targeted treatments in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • age above 18
• • able to follow the researchers' instructions
• • normal or correct-to-normal vision to view a computer screen
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • neurological disorders other than PD
• • diagnosed psychological disorders or a tendency of anxiety and/or depression
• • a self-history of seizure or a family history of epilepsy
• • deep brain stimulation or pacemaker implanted
• • unstable cardiovascular diseases or other uncontrolled medical conditions
• • pregnant
• • surgical history, severe injury, or severe tremor of their upper extremities that can affect their movements in the past 6 months