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. 2016 Aug:2016:5841-5844.
doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2016.7592056.

Alleviating Freezing of Gait using phase-dependent tactile biofeedback

Will Harrington  1 , Andrew Greenberg  1 , Edward King  2 , James McNames  1 , Lars Holmstrom  1 , Fay B Horak  3 , Martina Mancini  2
Affiliations

Alleviating Freezing of Gait using phase-dependent tactile biofeedback

Will Harrington et al. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

In this feasibility study, we present a novel, wearable prototype of tactile biofeedback to alleviate gait disturbances, such as freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. We designed and tested a phase-dependent tactile biofeedback system that can be easily worn on the feet, with a simple switch to turn it on or off. Preliminary validation was performed in 8 subjects with Parkinson's disease who show freezing during a turning in place test. A metronome, control condition was used to compare effectiveness in alleviating freezing. Promising results were obtained, both in term of acceptability of the device, and improving motor performance.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Biofeedback system prototype. Upper panel: system architecture. Lower panel: single components.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental Setup.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative examples of PSDs and Frequency Ratios in a subject with PD and freezing of gait in the three different turning conditions (baseline, metronome, and biofeedback).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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