Ongoing Projects

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that eventually affects up to 80% of persons in advanced stages of PD. FOG can also reduce quality of life and independence and increase risk of falling. Despite the prevalence of FOG, there is currently no gold standard clinical assessment which thereby hinders advancements in therapeutic treatments. This study aims to address the lack of global standardization in assessing freezing of gait and ability to evaluate therapeutic improvement of this symptom.

 This study will involve up to two sessions that will be spaced 1-2 weeks apart, a take home movement monitor, and an optional follow up on-line interview. Each in-person session will take approximately 3 hours to complete. During this time, you will be asked to complete a short movement assessment involving different variations of walking and turning. This movement assessment will be performed prior to and after taking your morning Parkinson’s medication. You will also be asked to complete questionnaires, which include will ask you about your: Parkinson’s symptoms, mental health, demographics (e.g. age, sex, education, living arrangements etc.), general health (falls, falls related injuries, smoking, alcohol consumption).

Anxiety is one of the most common non-motor symptoms experienced in Parkinson’s and impacts daily living and can intensity PD symptomology and movement performance. It has not been understood specifically how symptoms of anxiety or stress relate to sensory deficits, and whether this may interact with movement behaviour. The proposed research will focus on understanding how changes within the sensory system might contribute to anxiety and interfere with movement control in patients with PD.

This study will be held at the University of Waterloo and will take approximately 3 hours. Participation in this study involves filling out some questionnaires about various aspects of movement and behaviour that may impact day-to-day life. During the study you will perform some walking tests both in and out of different virtual environments by wearing a virtual reality headset. There is ample opportunity to take breaks. During these walking tasks, we will also measure your heart rate and sweat responses. Therefore, we will need to place some electrodes on your chest and fingers. We will also perform a few tests to assess your balance and your sensory system. 

Our previous research found that the current tests available to measure walking and balance problems in PD are not good enough to measure all these balance aspects at once. The current study aims to validate a new scale, called the “Movement Disorders Society Rating Scale: Postural Instability and Gait Difficulties (PIGD)”. This scale will measure walking, balance, posture, and fear of falling in people with PD.

This study will involve one session that will take approximately 75 minutes to complete. During this visit you will be asked to perform some movement tasks of their limbs, as well as tasks that assess posture, balance, and walking. Some of the balance tasks will involve the researcher holding the person while you lean and then letting go, or briskly pulling on their shoulders to assess how well you recover your balance. Your goal will be to accomplish the movement tasks as quickly and safely as possible.

This study will highlight whether visual cueing and deep breathing methods are effective to alleviating freezing of gait under conditions of varying postural threat when used in virtual reality. This will allow for more holistic rehabilitation programs that can be employed with smart technology such as virtual reality or augmented reality that can be used and implemented at home as well. These rehabilitation programs will aim to improve symptoms of freezing of gait in persons with Parkinson's disease, allowing for more comprehensive treatment of this symptom.

The purpose of this study is to understand various quality of life factors, particularly differing emotional manifestations, in patients with Parkinson's Disease, utilizing an online format. Using a one-time web-based questionnaire, we aim to collect information relating to anxiousness, balance, movement, sleep, and aspects of movement related attention. These outcomes can assist in creating a comprehensive understanding of quality of life outcomes faced with PD patients. The findings of this work will guide researchers in creating more holistic treatments for PD patients.

This study involves a one-time online survey regarding various aspects of behaviour that may be impacted in day-to-day life. This survey may take approximately 1 hour to complete. Further information can be found in the survey link, including our information letter and consent.