Recruiting · registry statusUnderstanding balance signals when walking freezes
Researchers study how the body’s balance system and brain activity contribute to starting or changing movement in Parkinson’s.
Testing a treatment or activity · Study reference: NCT06506058
Plain-language introduction written with AI from the registry; not independently checked by a clinician. Read the original details below ↓
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Looking for volunteers
- Start (reported actual date)
- 2025-03-24
- Main measurements finished (planned)
- 2028-12-01
- Study finished (planned)
- 2029-01-01
Planned dates can move. A study finishing does not tell us when a paper will be published.
No results summary has been confirmed in the registry records we imported. See connected papers below; we keep checking after recruitment ends.
Changes we have recorded
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Papers connected to this study
No connected paper has been found yet. The tracker checks the growing library for study identifiers and registry-linked publications.
Who can join?
Ages 21 years to 80 years · Also accepts healthy volunteers
These are starting points, not the full rules. The research team can tell you whether the study is right for your situation.
Read all the rules for taking part
Sex eligibility reported by registry: all
Inclusion Criteria:
Participants with Parkinson's disease (with and without Freezing of Gait)
* 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 Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria (for all participants):
* 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).
Additional exclusion criteria for EVS Experiments (Experiments 1 and 2):
* 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.
Additional exclusion criteria for Control Participants:
* 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.
Full study name & original research details
Official study title
Vestibular and Cortical Contributions to Transitions in Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease
Original description
Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge about the role of vestibulospinal drive and cortical activity during self-initiated movement transitions in older adults and people with PD (both with and without FOG). This set of experiments has two primary purposes: to (1) understand the pathological neurophysiology underlying freezing of gait (FOG) during movement transitions and FOG-inducing movements and (2) identify neurological biomarkers associated with FOG and FOG-inducing movements. To achieve this, the investigators will assess vestibular activity using the noninvasive neuromodulation technique of electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS, Experiments 1 and 2) and assess cortical activity by recording via electroencephalography (EEG, Experiments 3 and 4, no stimulation included). These experiments will investigate the vestibular (EVS Experiments) and cortical (EEG experiments) contributions to movement transitions during standing, walking, turning, and changing movement rates. Upon completion of this project, the investigators expect to provide a new understanding of key neural systems (vestibular and cortical) involved in the pathogenesis of movement impairment and freezing episodes during movement transitions including gait initiation, turning, and changing movement rates, in people with PD. An increased understanding of the temporal dynamics of systems involved in FOG and FOG-inducing movements could later guide the development and delivery of novel interventions (e.g. closed-loop deep brain stimulation \[DBS\] or non-invasive brain stimulation) to decrease the incidence and severity of FOG episodes, reducing fall risk and morbidity.
Conditions reported: Parkinson Disease
Registry records for this study
Records are joined using registration identifiers. Titles alone do not establish that two studies are the same.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Interventions
- EVS and EEG
- Phases
- NA
- Sponsor
- University of Minnesota
- Start date reported by registry
- 2025-03-24 (actual)
Registry updated: 2026-03-19 · Status last verified by the registry submitter: 2026-03
Registry records retrieved 2026-10-11 (UTC). Individual records may have older updates. Recruitment and eligibility must be confirmed with the study team.
Contact the research team
Public study contacts supplied to the registry. Ask whether recruitment is still open and what participation involves.
Madison Aasen, MS · 612-505-8325 · aasen056@umn.edu
Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD
Study locations
Site status can differ from overall study status. “Status not reported” means local availability needs confirmation. Remote participation and travel arrangements must be checked with the team.
University of Minnesota, Movement Disorders Lab
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
RecruitingMadison Aasen, MS · 612-505-8325 · aasen056@umn.edu
Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD
Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD
Facility not reported
United States
Status not reportedThe original descriptions and participation rules come from the registry. Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee benefit.