Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices

IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD)-associated freezing of gait (FoG) (PDFoG) refers to episodes where patients feel the urge to move but experience temporary immobility or markedly shortened steps. This leads to frequent falls and, eventually, the loss of walking ability, severely affecting patien...

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Main Authors: Xiaohong Li, Mengdi Hou, Yan Qu, Yuan Huo, Shuting Liu, Minghui Ma, Zhanhua Liang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Neuroscience
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1560333/full
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author Xiaohong Li
Mengdi Hou
Yan Qu
Yuan Huo
Shuting Liu
Minghui Ma
Zhanhua Liang
author_facet Xiaohong Li
Mengdi Hou
Yan Qu
Yuan Huo
Shuting Liu
Minghui Ma
Zhanhua Liang
author_sort Xiaohong Li
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD)-associated freezing of gait (FoG) (PDFoG) refers to episodes where patients feel the urge to move but experience temporary immobility or markedly shortened steps. This leads to frequent falls and, eventually, the loss of walking ability, severely affecting patient quality of life and life expectancy. Despite its clinical importance, the neural mechanisms underlying PDFoG remain unclear.MethodsThis study sought to characterize abnormal neural activity in PDFoG by assessing regional brain activity using ALFF, fALFF, PerAF, and wavelet-ALFF across three frequency bands (conventional, slow-5, and slow-4). PDFoG patients were compared to PD patients without FoG (PDnFoG) and healthy controls. Clinical evaluations included standard assessment scales, such as the FOG-Q and MDS-UPDRS III, alongside a wearable sensor-based gait assessment system.ResultsWe found that PD patients with FoG experienced more extensive changes in regional brain activity than those without FoG, primarily affecting cortical regions and the cerebellum. Conversely, PDnFoG patients primarily showed reduced activity in the basal ganglia.ConclusionThese findings emphasize the need to further explore the roles of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum in PDFoG pathophysiology.
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spelling doaj-art-7818ce7d266c4556af574fe7e5986a082025-08-20T02:42:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2025-07-011910.3389/fnins.2025.15603331560333Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devicesXiaohong Li0Mengdi Hou1Yan Qu2Yuan Huo3Shuting Liu4Minghui Ma5Zhanhua Liang6Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, ChinaIntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD)-associated freezing of gait (FoG) (PDFoG) refers to episodes where patients feel the urge to move but experience temporary immobility or markedly shortened steps. This leads to frequent falls and, eventually, the loss of walking ability, severely affecting patient quality of life and life expectancy. Despite its clinical importance, the neural mechanisms underlying PDFoG remain unclear.MethodsThis study sought to characterize abnormal neural activity in PDFoG by assessing regional brain activity using ALFF, fALFF, PerAF, and wavelet-ALFF across three frequency bands (conventional, slow-5, and slow-4). PDFoG patients were compared to PD patients without FoG (PDnFoG) and healthy controls. Clinical evaluations included standard assessment scales, such as the FOG-Q and MDS-UPDRS III, alongside a wearable sensor-based gait assessment system.ResultsWe found that PD patients with FoG experienced more extensive changes in regional brain activity than those without FoG, primarily affecting cortical regions and the cerebellum. Conversely, PDnFoG patients primarily showed reduced activity in the basal ganglia.ConclusionThese findings emphasize the need to further explore the roles of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum in PDFoG pathophysiology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1560333/fullparkinson’s diseasefreezing of gaitresting-state fMRIgait dynamicsamplitude of low-frequency fluctuations
spellingShingle Xiaohong Li
Mengdi Hou
Yan Qu
Yuan Huo
Shuting Liu
Minghui Ma
Zhanhua Liang
Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
Frontiers in Neuroscience
parkinson’s disease
freezing of gait
resting-state fMRI
gait dynamics
amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations
title Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
title_full Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
title_fullStr Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
title_full_unstemmed Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
title_short Gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease with freezing of gait: a clinical study using resting-state fMRI and wearable devices
title_sort gait dynamics and brain function abnormalities in parkinson s disease with freezing of gait a clinical study using resting state fmri and wearable devices
topic parkinson’s disease
freezing of gait
resting-state fMRI
gait dynamics
amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1560333/full
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