Freezing of Gait Correction and Fall Prevention: Developing a Real-time Somatosensory Stimulation System

NCT ID: NCT01772186

Last Updated: 2013-10-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2013-02-28

Brief Summary

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Background and purpose: Freezing of gait (FOG) is one of the most disabling motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), and closely associates with postural instability and fall. Previous studies had shown that somatosensory stimulation could induce weight shift, and this is probably helpful for gait reinitiation. Therefore, the investogators propose a two-year project to develop a wearable device, the somatosensory stimulation system (SSS), which monitors gait real-time and provide somatosensory stimulation once FOG episodes detected. And the investigators test the effects of this SSS device on FOG, fall, and walking function.

Methods: The first-year study is to build and validate this wearable SSS device. The customized device has sensor part and stimulator part; the former is an inertial sensor module to detect FOG episodes, and the latter is a microvibrator-embedded insole to facilitate weight shift and gait reinitiation. To validate the device, patients with FOG are recruited and conduct FOG-provoking tasks during their medication "OFF" or "late On" state in a laboratory setting. The investigators test if the SSS device could facilitate lateral weight shift and help gait reinitiation, as well as the reliability. The second-year study is to test if the SSS device stands a long-term, daily wearing basis, and to evaluate its effect on FOG, fall, and walking function. The investigators recruit PD patients with FOG, and randomly assign them into the experimental and control groups. Both groups wear the SSS device during the daytime for ten weeks, and the stimulator part is turned on during the first six weeks (intervention phase) only in the experimental group. The stimulator part is then kept off during the last four weeks (follow-up phase) in both groups. The effect of the SSS device is evaluated by the outcomes including FOG severity, fall and walking function, which are measured prior/after the intervention phase and after the follow-up phase.

Clinical relevance: This project tempts to combine real-time gait analysis with somatosensory-induced postural readjustment, and using this novel approach to improve FOG and fall in people with PD. The results of this projects might also provide an objective, long-term assessment tool to measure the FOG phenomenon for clinical and research fields.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Parkinson Disease

Keywords

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Freezing of gait Parkinson's disease Somatosensory stimulation Fall prevention

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Without real-time somatosensory cue

Parkinson patients wear the somatosensory stimulation system but not receive the real-time somatosensory cue during freezing-of-gait episodes.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

With real-time somatosensory cue

Parkinson patients wear the somatosensory stimulation system and receive the real-time somatosensory cue during freezing-of-gait episodes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Real-time somatosensory cue

Intervention Type DEVICE

A novel sensory cue proposed in this study, which designed to facilitate weight shift during freezing-of-gait episodes. This sensory cue is controlled by the real-time analysis of gait pattern, and given only when freezing-of-gait detected.

Interventions

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Real-time somatosensory cue

A novel sensory cue proposed in this study, which designed to facilitate weight shift during freezing-of-gait episodes. This sensory cue is controlled by the real-time analysis of gait pattern, and given only when freezing-of-gait detected.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Idiopathic Parkinsonian with Hoehn-Yahr score between 2 to 4
* Suffering freezing-of-gait in the recent week
* Able to walk unassisted over 30 meters in medication OFF period

Exclusion Criteria

* Non-idiopathic Parkinsonian
* Comorbid with uncontrolled neurological, cardiovascular and orthopedic diseases that might affect balance and mobility
* Impaired cognitive function
* Abnormal plantar sensory function
* Abnormal coagulation function
Minimum Eligible Age

55 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

85 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Taiwan University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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National Taiwan University Hospital

Ruey-Meei Wu

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Ruey-Meei Wu, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Kwan-Hwa Lin, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Department of Physical Therapy, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan

Locations

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National Taiwan University Hospital

Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

National Taiwan University Hospital

Taipei, , Taiwan

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Taiwan

Central Contacts

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Ruey-Meei Wu, Professor

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 886-2-23123456

Email: [email protected]

Wen-Chieh Yang, Ph.D. student

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 886-2-33668149

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Ruey-Meei Wu, Professor

Role: primary

Wen-Chieh Yang, Ph.D. student

Role: backup

Ruey-Meei Wu, Professor

Role: primary

Wen-Chieh Yang, Ph.D. student

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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201112158DIB

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id