Multi-limb Dual-task Control in Parkinson's Disease

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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People with Parkinson disease commonly experience difficulty driving, which requires the arms and legs to do different tasks simultaneously. Driving difficulties can lead to isolation, depression, loss of independence and mobility, and increased incidence of car accidents. Through understanding the impact of Parkinson disease on mechanisms underlying attention and multi-limb control, training and rehabilitation programs can better focus on the needs of drivers with Parkinson disease. The proposed study aims to address this need by taking measures of simulated driving at one point in time. Subjects with PD are tested at a single time point when they are at their best point in their day and on another day when they are at their worst and are about to take their next dose of medication. Healthy age-matched subjects are not taking anti-parkinson medication so are tested at only one point.

Official Title
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Multi-limb Control in Parkinson's Disease: Implicit and Explicit Control of Attention

Conditions
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Parkinson Disease

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: multilimb dual task


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: have a clinical diagnosis of mild to moderate idiopathic PD (Hoehn & Yahr stages 1-3), hold a valid driver's license and drive at least once a week, and be capable of providing informed consent and complying with study procedures. Control group participants will be healthy, neurologically intact individuals, age-matched to within 2 years of the PD subjects. Exclusion Criteria: impaired global cognition (i.e., a score of < 20 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) screening tool) sensory loss in the lower limb as assessed by clinical test of vibration perception at the ankle, orthopedic, visual, or neurological conditions that would prevent performance of the experimental tasks, inability to complete and pass the assessment testing, history of neurological illness such as head trauma, previous stroke, epilepsy, demyelinating disease, or complicating medical problems such as diabetes.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Parkinson Disease<br>Observation of individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease performing a multilimb dual task using the arm and the leg. | Other: multilimb dual task<br>* control of arm and foot in two attentional contexts of simulated driving<br>* Other names: constrained accuracy;|
| Control<br>Observation of healthy age-matched individuals will perform a multilimb dual task using the arm and the leg. | Other: multilimb dual task<br>* control of arm and foot in two attentional contexts of simulated driving<br>* Other names: constrained accuracy;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dual Task Effect on Arm and Foot Tasks | The Dual Task Effect is the performance measure of the arm and foot task, respectively, in the dual task relative to the single task, expressed as a percentage. | Subjects with PD: Two 90-minute sessions within a week; Healthy controls: One 90-minute session, observation of simulated driving. |