How the brain controls walking in Parkinson's disease
Cortical basal ganglia network dynamics during human gait control
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · NIH-11252273
This project records brain signals from people with Parkinson's disease to learn how brain circuits start, sustain, and change walking.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11252273 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would have recordings taken from sensors placed in both motor cortex and a deep brain area called the globus pallidus while you start walking, walk continuously, and adapt your steps. The team will study about ten people with Parkinson's who have bidirectional sensing and stimulating devices, collecting data both in the lab and during everyday activities using accelerometers. They will compare walking when medicines and brain stimulation are on or off to find patterns linked to good and bad gait. The goal is to decode the brain rhythms that control gait so therapies can be better timed to improve walking.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with Parkinson's disease who have gait difficulties and who have, or are eligible for, implanted bidirectional sensing and stimulating devices in motor cortex and the globus pallidus.
Not a fit: People without Parkinson's, those without gait symptoms, or those who cannot or will not have brain implants are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new brain-stimulation strategies that reduce freezing and other gait problems in Parkinson's disease.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have recorded movement-related brain signals and used them to guide adaptive deep brain stimulation for tremor, but applying similar recording-and-stimulation methods continuously to gait is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO — SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: WANG, DORIS DU — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- Study coordinator: WANG, DORIS DU
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.