Introduction to Freezing of Gait
Freezing of gait (FOG) is a standard symptom that affects greater than half of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is a treatment priority because it may well result in falls, morbidity, and mortality. While visual gait cues, akin to parallel floor lines, may also help reduce FOG, they should not practical for on a regular basis use. Researchers at Cleveland Clinic are exploring the usage of augmented reality (AR) to offer visual cues that may also help individuals with PD overcome FOG.
The Challenge of Freezing of Gait
FOG is a big challenge for individuals with PD because it may well occur at any time, making it difficult to walk or move around. Visual gait cues, akin to parallel floor lines or projected laser lines, may also help reduce FOG, but they should not feasible to be used in all environments. For example, it isn’t possible to put in parallel floor lines on all surfaces that an individual with PD may walk on. Additionally, projected laser lines could be distracting and should interfere with social interactions.
Using Augmented Reality to Overcome Freezing of Gait
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic, led by movement disorders neurologist James Liao, MD, PhD, are conducting a study to research the usage of AR glasses to offer visual cues to individuals with PD. The study is funded by the American Parkinson Disease Association and goals to find out whether AR cues can improve FOG in individuals with PD. The AR glasses are equipped with a digital display that projects cues onto the ground, that are visible only to the wearer.
How the Study Works
The study involves 36 patients with PD and FOG who will complete an obstacle course-like gait task under six different visual cue conditions. The conditions include:
- No cue
- Conventional cue
- Constant-on AR
- AR hand-triggered by patient
- AR eye-triggered by patient
- Examiner-triggered AR
The AR cue is a group of images that appear on the ground on the patient’s feet and are designed to mimic laser lines projected onto the ground.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Augmented Reality Cues
The study will assess the effectiveness of the AR cues in improving FOG by utilizing video capture and wireless sensors on the body to observe the movement of every limb. The researchers will compare the performance of different cue conditions to find out which of them are handiest in reducing FOG. The study can even investigate whether patients improve with conventional cues, how intermittent cues perform relative to constant-on cues, and the way cues triggered by an examiner perform relative to patients’ self-triggered cues.
Potential Benefits of Augmented Reality Cues
If the study is successful, it may lead to the widespread adoption of AR-assisted cueing devices for the treatment of FOG. The study can even inform future AR-based gait research in PD, including whether to prioritize development of closed-loop cues or development of constant-on or patient-triggered intermittent cues. By comparing freezing-of-gait propensity across cue mechanisms, the researchers may gain insight into the mechanisms of FOG, which remain incompletely understood.
Conclusion
The use of AR cues to beat FOG in individuals with PD is a promising area of research. The study at Cleveland Clinic goals to find out the effectiveness of AR cues in improving FOG and has the potential to guide to the event of reliable and discreet treatments for FOG. If successful, this might improve safety and quality of life for individuals with PD. The study’s findings could also inform future research into the usage of AR within the treatment of other movement disorders. Overall, the usage of AR cues has the potential to make a big difference within the lives of individuals with PD and may very well be a vital step forward within the treatment of this debilitating symptom.
