Online Motor Control in People With Parkinson's Disease
University of Delaware
Summary
This study aims to better understand how people with Parkinson's control reaching movements. Specifically, we are asking how these individuals respond to different environmental perturbations. Testing includes reaching movements made within a virtual reality set-up.
Description
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting approximately up to 10 million people worldwide and with 60,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the U.S. alone. Some of the most common signs and symptoms in individuals with PD are slowed and small movements and difficulty in movement initiation. The ability to correct movements online in response to environmental changes is an important part of daily living. Online movement corrections in reaching refer to the ability to smoothly change how and where you reach in response to a change in the environment. F…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–85 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion criteria (all participants): * Age 18-85 years * Able to perform reaching movements of \~20 cm (8 inches) * MMSE score ≥ 26/30 * Willing and able to attend all testing sessions Inclusion criteria (PD group only): * Diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease per self report * Currently taking dopaminergic/dopamine agonist medication Exclusion criteria (all participants): * Any chronic or recent upper extremity musculoskeletal conditions that affects reaching * Any neurological disorders other than Parkinson's disease (e.g., seizure disorders, closed head injuries with loss of co…
Interventions
- Behavioralmotor control assessment
Basic science study of control of reaching movements
Location
- University of DelawareNewark, Delaware