Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) often causes visual changes that impair visuospatial processing, reading speed, and contrast acuity, impacting patients’ quality of life. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of levodopa and deep brain stimulation (DBS) on visual symptoms associated with PD. Methods: Patients were assessed either before DBS surgery (both off and on medication) or at their first DBS programming session (off medication, with and without stimulation). The King-Devick reading speed and color contrast visual tests were administered in each condition, evaluating high and low contrast across black, red, and yellow. Results: Reading speed and color contrast acuity did not change following levodopa dosing or when deep brain stimulation was off or on. However, those patients that had testing before and after DBS showed a non-significant trend towards improvement in their rapid reading test scores from pre-DBS to post-DBS and black color contrast sensitivity using the 2.5% contrast. Conclusions: Although levodopa and DBS did not significantly improve reading speed or contrast acuity after single dosing or turning DBS on and off, in this small study, these findings provide valuable insights into the stability of these visual symptoms under current treatments. There was evidence that DBS surgery may improve certain aspects of reading speed and contrast acuity and further study is needed. This work underscores the need for innovative approaches to enhance visual function in PD.

To correlate DBS sub-harmonics with patient responsiveness and investigate neurophysiological mechanisms subserving DBS induced sub-harmonics.

IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder. While dopaminergic medication improves PD symptoms, continued management is complicated by continued symptom progression, increasing medication fluctuations, and medication-related dyskinesia. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is a well-accepted and widespread treatment often utilized to address these symptoms in advanced PD. However, DBS may also lead to complications requiring hospitalization. In addition, patients with PD and DBS may have specialized care needs during hospitalization.MethodsThis systematic review seeks to characterize the complications and risk of hospitalization following DBS surgery. Patient risk factors and modifications to DBS surgical techniques that may affect surgical risk are also discussed.ResultsIt is found that, when candidates are carefully screened, DBS is a relatively low-risk procedure, but rate of hospitalization is somewhat increased for DBS patients.DiscussionMore research is needed to determine the relative influence of more advanced disease vs. DBS itself in increased rate of hospitalization, but education about DBS and PD is important to insure effective patient care within the hospital.

The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent PD affects the ability to walk, respond to balance perturbations in a single training session, and produce acute short-term effects to improve compensatory reactions and control of unperturbed walking stability. Understanding the mechanism of compensation and neuroplasticity to unexpected step perturbation training during walking and static stance can inform treatment of PD by helping to design effective training regimens that remediate fall risk. Current rehabilitation therapies are inadequate at reducing falls in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). While pharmacologic and surgical treatments have proved largely ineffective in treating postural instability and gait dysfunction in people with PD, studies have demonstrated that therapy specifically focusing on posture, gait, and balance may significantly improve these factors and reduce falls. The primary goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a novel and promising intervention therapy (protective step training – i.e., PST) to improve balance and reduce falls in people with PD. A secondary goal was to understand the effects of PST on proactive and reactive feedback responses during stance and gait tasks. Multiple-baseline, repeated measures analyses were performed on the multitude of proactive and reactive performance measures to assess the effects of PST on gait and postural stability parameters. In general, the results indicate that participants with PD were able to use experiences with perturbation training to integrate and adapt feedforward and feedback behaviors to reduce falls. The ability of the participants with PD to adapt to changes in task demands suggests that individuals with PD could benefit from the protective step training to facilitate balance control during rehabilitation.

Falls represent a major burden on elderly individuals and society as a whole. Technologies that are able to detect individuals at risk of fall before occurrence could help reduce this burden by targeting those individuals for rehabilitation to reduce risk of falls. Wearable technologies especially, which can continuously monitor aspects of gait, balance, vital signs, and other aspects of health known to be related to falls, may be useful and are in need of study. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematics Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2009 guidelines to identify articles related to the use of wearable sensors to predict fall risk. Fifty four studies were analyzed. The majority of studies (98.0%) utilized inertial measurement units (IMUs) located at the lower back (58.0%), sternum (28.0%), and shins (28.0%). Most assessments were conducted in a structured setting (67.3%) instead of with free-living data. Fall risk was calculated based on retrospective falls history (48.9%), prospective falls reporting (36.2%), or clinical scales (19.1%). Measures of the duration spent walking and standing during free-living monitoring, linear measures such as gait speed and step length, and nonlinear measures such as entropy correlate with fall risk, and machine learning methods can distinguish between falls. However, because many studies generating machine learning models did not list the exact factors being considered, it is difficult to compare these models directly. Few studies to date have utilized results to give feedback about fall risk to the patient or to supply treatment or lifestyle suggestions to prevent fall, though these are considered important by end users. Wearable technology demonstrates considerable promise in detecting subtle changes in biomarkers of gait and balance related to an increase in fall risk. However, more large-scale studies measuring increasing fall risk before first fall are needed, and exact biomarkers and machine learning methods used need to be shared to compare results and pursue the most promising fall risk measurements. There is a great need for devices measuring fall risk also to supply patients with information about their fall risk and strategies and treatments for prevention.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate dynamic balance and postural stability in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) compared with published age-matched normative data. METHODS: Eleven patients with ASD were prospectively enrolled. Postural stability was tested using static and dynamic posturography; patients stood on a movable platform with an integrated force plate and performed standardized sensory organization testing (SOT), evaluating the influence of sensory processing on postural stability under 6 conditions, and motor control testing, assessing reflexive postural reactions to an external perturbation. Patient performance was compared with that of published age-matched controls. Quality of life metrics included scores on the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire, SF-36, and Morse Fall Scale. Correlations between postural stability and radiographic measurements were performed. RESULTS: ASD patients demonstrated significantly lower SOT scores (P <= 0.03) in 5 of 6 conditions tested and greater latency of limb movement during backward translation (P = 0.04) compared with controls. Lower SOT scores were associated with a history of falls. ASD patients who self-reported falling in the previous 6 months, when compared with nonfallers, demonstrated significantly lower SOT scores (P = 0.04) and significantly lower Scoliosis Research Society-22 self-image subscores (P = 0.003). Thoracic kyphosis and mediolateral sway (predictor of falls) were positively correlated in the eyesopen and eyes-closed conditions (P <= 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: ASD patients demonstrated impaired postural stability, diminished sensory integration, and delayed response to external perturbations compared with normal control data. Postural stability and quality of life metrics correlated with self-reported falls. These findings suggest that ASD patients have abnormal postural stability and may be at elevated risk of falls.

Our retrospective study of falls and resultant trauma in consecutive Parkinson disease (PD) patients seen in one year at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Clinic found that multiple-fallers could be divided into patients who fell mainly when walking or those who fell mainly when standing. Patients who fell when walking were more likely to visit an emergency room or be admitted to a hospital. Of 455 consecutive patients who were evaluated over a one-year period, 51 were excluded because they had atypical Parkinson disorders, had multiple risk factors for falling, or were demented. Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scales and Zeno Walkway results were compared among non-fallers, single-fallers, and multiple-fallers. Among multiple-fallers, comparisons were made between patients who fell mainly when standing and those who fell mainly when walking. Most patients (197, 49%) did not fall, 142 (35%) fell once, and 65 (16%) fell more than once. Multiple-fallers differed significantly from single-fallers and non-fallers: they had PD significantly longer (p<0.001), were more severely affected (p<0.001), and took shorter steps (p<0.001). Of 65 multiple-fallers, 26 (40%) fell mainly when standing, 28 (43%) fell mainly when walking, and 11 (17%) fell equally often when standing or walking. Falls when walking resulted in more severe injuries. Patients who fell mainly when standing did not realize they could fall when standing; engaged in inappropriate weight shifting, bending, reaching, and multitasking; and failed to use their assistive devices. Such patients would benefit from being counseled about falling when standing. Patients who fell mainly when walking were aware they could fall, despite using an assisted device, and were more likely to have freezing of gait (FOG). They were more likely to sustain a severe injury, and were more likely to be admitted to an emergency room or hospital. Such patients would benefit from reducing, if possible, FOG.

Objective: Determine if NC001, an oral formulation of nicotine that reduces levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LIDs) in MPTP-Parkinson monkeys, could reduce falls, freezing of gait (FOG), and LIDs in Parkinson disease (PD) patients.Methods: Previously collected data from a study analyzing the effects of NC001 on LIDs in PD patients were reanalyzed. Because indirect-acting cholinergic drugs are sometimes helpful in reducing falls, we hypothesized that NC001, a direct-acting cholinergic agonist, could reduce falls in PD. The original 12-center, double-blind, randomized trial enrolled 65 PD patients. NC001 or placebo was administered 4 times per day for 10 weeks, beginning at 4 mg/day and escalating to 24 mg/day. Assessments included the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) and Parts II-III of the original Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).Results: Randomization (1:1) resulted in 35 patients on NC001 and 30 on placebo at baseline. Thirty and 27 patients, respectively, had data available for an intent-to-treat analysis. NC001 was safe and well-tolerated. After 10 weeks, NC001 patients (14/30) had a significant reduction in falls vs. placebo patients (3/27) (p = 0.0041) as assessed by UPDRS Part II. NC001 patients (12/30) also had significantly reduced FOG vs. placebo patients (4/27) (p = 0.0043). NC001 patients, compared with placebo patients, had a significant improvement (p = 0.01) in UDysRS ambulation subtest (40% vs. 3%, respectively). Although NC001 patients had a greater reduction in dyskinesias on the UDysRS than placebo patients (30% vs. 19%, respectively), this was not significant (p = 0.09).Conclusions: NC001 significantly improved two refractory symptoms of PD, falls and FOG. The reduction in falls and FOG is attributed to selective stimulation of nicotinic receptors.Clinical Trial Registration: Conducted under IND 105, 268, serial number 0000. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00957918.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder traditionally associated with degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra, which results in bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability and gait disability (PIGD). The disorder has also been implicated in degradation of motor learning. While individuals with PD are able to learn, certain aspects of learning, especially automatic responses to feedback, are faulty, resulting in a reliance on feedforward systems of movement learning and control. Because of this, patients with PD may require more training to achieve and retain motor learning and may require additional sensory information or motor guidance in order to facilitate this learning. Furthermore, they may be unable to maintain these gains in environments and situations in which conscious effort is divided (such as dual-tasking). These shortcomings in motor learning could play a large part in degenerative gait and balance symptoms often seen in the disease, as patients are unable to adapt to gradual sensory and motor degradation. Research has shown that physical and exercise therapy can help patients with PD to adapt new feedforward strategies to partially counteract these symptoms. In particular, balance, treadmill, resistance, and repeated perturbation training therapies have been shown to improve motor patterns in PD. However, much research is still needed to determine which of these therapies best alleviates which symptoms of PIGD, the needed dose and intensity of these therapies, and long-term retention effects. The benefits of such technologies as augmented feedback, motorized perturbations, virtual reality, and weight-bearing assistance are also of interest. This narrative review will evaluate the effect of PD on motor learning and the effect of motor learning deficits on response to physical therapy and training programs, focusing specifically on features related to PIGD. Potential methods to strengthen therapeutic effects will be discussed.

April 22, 2018April 10, 2018Free AccessNo Postural Stability Differences between Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Neurological Orthostatic Hypotension in Parkinson’s disease – A Pilot Study (P1.051)Victoria Smith, Christopher Frames, Markey Olson, Thurmon Lockhart, and Abraham LiebermanAuthors Info & AffiliationsApril 10, 2018 issue90 (15_supplement)https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.90.15_supplement.P1.051 Letters to the Editor

Objective: The incidence and circumstances of falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease was studied longitudinally in order to better characterize falls and educate patients. Background: Falls result in serious injuries in Parkinson disease (PD) patients and the elderly. In addition to recognizing fall risks, it is important to recognize fall types: falls when standing differ from falls when walking. These differences are important in educating and training patients and caregivers in fall prevention. Design/Methods: Data were analyzed for 404 idiopathic PD patients who were followed for one year. All patients were examined using MDS-UPDRS Part III and fall diaries. Patients were assessed for fall occurrence and fall types: standing or walking. Results: Of the 404 patients, 197 (49%) did not fall, 142 (35%) fell once, and 65 (16%) fell more than once (“multiple fallers”). Fallers and non-fallers had a similar duration and severity of PD. Multiple fallers, the focus of our study, differed significantly from single fallers and non-fallers; multiple fallers had longer disease duration (p Conclusions: Patients who fell when standing generally fell when shifting their weight, such as during bending, reaching, or stretching. Patients who fell when walking fell when turning, walking through a doorway, or walking on an uneven surface. This information can be utilized to educate and train PD patients on how to avoid falls. Disclosure: Dr. Lieberman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lockhart has nothing to disclose. Dr. Olson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Smith has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frames has nothing to disclose.

April 24, 2018April 10, 2018Free AccessEffect of NP002, a centrally acting cholinergic agent, in reducing dyskinesia, freezing of gait, and falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease (S26.007)Abraham Lieberman, Thurmon Lockhart, Markey Olson, Victoria Smith, and Christopher FramesAuthors Info & AffiliationsApril 10, 2018 issue90 (15_supplement)https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.90.15_supplement.S26.007 Letters to the Editor