Visuomotor Control in Parkinson Disease

NCT06918938 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 202502008RINB
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 63
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Visuomotor processing is the ability to integrate visual information into motor plans and movement correction, which is highly required in daily activities such as writing and walking. As visual impairments have been reported in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), it is likely that those impairments may affect visuomotor processing ability and subsequently impair motor performance. Furthermore, people with PD and freezing of gait (FOG) have exhibited poorer visual perception than those without FOG, yet the differences of visuomotor control have not been well investigated. Additionally, little did the studies apply neurophysiological assessment to investigate the associated neural mechanisms. This study aims to investigate behavioral and neurophysiological differences in visuomotor control among people with PD and FOG (freezers), without FOG (non-freezers), and age-matched healthy controls. Sixty-three participants, 21 freezers, 21 non-freezers, and 21 age-matched healthy controls, will be enrolled in this study. Behavioral assessments, including a manual control task and visual perception tests will be used to evaluate visuomotor and visual perceptual abilities. Neurophysiological correlates, including corticomotor excitability and corticocortical connectivity between V1-M1 and PPC-M1, will be examined using transcranial magnetic stimulation. It is hypothesized that freezers will demonstrate the greatest visuomotor impairments and disrupted corticocortical connectivity compared to non-freezers and controls. By integrating behavioral and neurophysiological outcomes, this study seeks to unravel the mechanisms linking visual and motor impairments to FOG, ultimately providing insights into targeted interventions to improve visuomotor processing and motor performance in PD.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Parkinson disease; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Motor control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Root-mean square-error

  Overall performance accuracy relative to the target waveform, which is the mean difference between the target waveform and the participant's movement trajectory calculated over their actual movement time.

  Day 1

• Directional error

  The value of the instantaneous component of the hand movement vector, perpendicular to the target trajectory in every sampled time point, which will be calculated and expressed as a percentage of the total movement vector

  Day 1

• Squared mean jerk

  The squared mean of the jerk of the visuomotor trajectory, which a minor JSM is assumed a major smoothness by better controlling the movement.

  Day 1

• Movement time

  Total movement time of a trial will be recorded.

  Day 1

• Tracking interruption

  Frequency and duration of tracking interruptions will be recorded when the participant's cursor exits the target circle.

  Day 1

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Benton Judgment of Line Orientation Test

  Day 2

• Random dot cinematogram

  Day 2

• National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25

  Day 2

• Purdue Pegboard Test

  Day 2

• Timed Up and Go Test

  Day 2

Study Arms (3)

FOG

Participants with Parkinson disease and freezing of gait

NFOG

Participants with Parkinson disease without freezing of gait

CON

Age-matched healthy adults

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants with PD are idiopathic PD diagnosed by a neurologist, while healthy controls are absent of any neurological disorders.

You may qualify if:

• age above 18
• able to follow the researchers' instructions
• normal or correct-to-normal vision to view a computer screen

You may not qualify if:

• neurological disorders other than PD
• diagnosed psychological disorders or a tendency of anxiety and/or depression
• a self-history of seizure or a family history of epilepsy
• deep brain stimulation or pacemaker implanted
• unstable cardiovascular diseases or other uncontrolled medical conditions
• pregnant
• surgical history, severe injury, or severe tremor of their upper extremities that can affect their movements in the past 6 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Taiwan University Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy

Taipei, Zhongzheng Dist., 100, Taiwan

RECRUITING

Related Publications (2)

• Inzelberg R, Schechtman E, Hocherman S. Visuo-motor coordination deficits and motor impairments in Parkinson's disease. PLoS One. 2008;3(11):e3663. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003663. Epub 2008 Nov 6.

  PMID: 18987752 BACKGROUND

• Palomar FJ, Conde V, Carrillo F, Fernandez-del-Olmo M, Koch G, Mir P. Parieto-motor functional connectivity is impaired in Parkinson's disease. Brain Stimul. 2013 Mar;6(2):147-54. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2012.03.017. Epub 2012 Apr 15.

  PMID: 22537863 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases

Study Officials

• Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy

  National Taiwan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ya-Yun Lee, PhD

CONTACT

+886-2-33668155; yayunlee@ntu.edu.tw

Sung-Hao Lu

CONTACT

+886-9-79880052; d12428001@ntu.edu.tw

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 27, 2025
• First Posted: April 9, 2025
• Study Start: July 19, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2028
• Last Updated: August 14, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TW (1)