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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00320242

Laser Light Cues for Gait Freezing in Parkinson's Disease

The purpose of this study is to gather data to see if the Laser Cane and/or U-Step Walker with laser accessory is more effective in aiding with gait freezing than a regular cane/U-Step Walker in patients who have idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

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Key information

Conditions

Parkinson's Disease Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Parkinson Disease Parkinsonian Disorders Synucleinopathies

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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About this study

Freezing of gait is a significant clinical problem in Parkinson's disease (PD). It interferes with daily functioning and quality of life and often results in falls that potentially can inflict serious injury. In recent years, much more attention has been focused on the clinical characteristics of gait freezing, the severity of falls that can result, and the use of visual cues as a possible treatment in order to understand the implications of episodic freezing. Few clinical studies have been done to confirm the clinical observations to date. The laser cane is a device that has been used and prescribed in movement disorder centers as the only form of treatment for freezing of gait. Although it has been shown to be effective in many cases, there is no published data to support what has been observed in the clinic. The proposed study seeks to clarify unanswered questions regarding the laser cane and its efficacy in aiding with episodic gait freezing and falls.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Subjects or a designated proxy have given informed consent
  • Subject has been diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease
  • Subject is ambulatory. If a wheelchair is used part-time, it must be used for less than 50% of the time
  • Positive assessment for Questionnaire Used to Identify Freezing of Gait in PD Patients at subject's best "on"

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of atypical features suggestive of MSA, PSP, ataxia, unexplained or prominent pyramidal signs, and/or autonomic dysfunction
  • Subjects who are non-ambulatory more than 50% of the time
  • Subjects who have had a history of syncope in the 6 months prior to screening
  • Subjects with moderate or advanced dementia

Treatment and study plan

1 mo baseline before visual cue

Device

Laser Cane with Laser Accessory and/or U-Step Walker with Laser Accessory

Other names: U-Step Walking Stabilizer

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean Change From Baseline (Visit 1 Until Visit 2) to Endpoint (After Visit 2 Until Visit 3) in the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire Score.

    Time frame: 2-3 months

    The FOGQ has a minimum of 0 and max of 4 for each question, with 4 representing more severe freezing of gait. There are 6 questions, so the total score ranges from 0 to 24. It was pre-specified that all 26 subjects were treated as a single group with respect to the primary outcome measure regardless of whether or not they had a 1 month or 2 month baseline period.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mean Change in Time to Perform the Timed Gait Test With vs Without the Laser Feature

    Time frame: 2-3 months

    Mean change in time to perform the timed gait test with versus without the laser feature from visit 1 to visit 3. It was pre-specified that all 26 subjects would be treated as a single group with respect to the outcome measure regardless of whether or not they had a 1 month or 2 month baseline period

  2. Mean Change in Number of Falls Without Versus With the Laserlight Visual Cue.

    Time frame: 2-3 months

    Mean change in falls per week for the period between visit 1 and visit 2 (without laserlight visual cue) compared to the period between visit 2 and visit 3 (with the laserlight visual cue).

  3. Percentage Change in Falls

    Time frame: 1 to 2 months

    The mean change in fall frequency from the baseline period without the laserlight visual cue compared to the subsequent period during which they used the laserlight visual cue among subjects experiencing at least one fall during the baseline and subsequent study periods. This outcome measure is expressed as a percentage change from the baseline period.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

An Open Label Study to Assess the Efficacy of Visual Cues in the Form of the Laser Cane or the U-Step Walker With Laser Accessory in Parkinson's Disease Patients Who Experience Freezing of Gait.

Important dates

Study start
2006
Primary completion
2009
Study completion
2009
First posted
May 3, 2006
Registry last updated
Jul 14, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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