Body-Worn Sensors to Characterize & Treat Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

简介（申请人提供）：我是俄勒冈健康与科学大学（OHSU）神经内科博士后研究员，意大利博洛尼亚大学生物工程博士。我目前在Fay Horak博士实验室的研究项目主要集中在量化帕金森病（PD）和多发性硬化症（MS）患者的身体穿戴式传感器规定的平衡和步态任务。我的长期职业目标是建立自己的独立实验室，通过可穿戴传感器客观地表征、了解和监测神经系统疾病患者的行动障碍，以开发量身定制的康复干预措施，例如基于生物反馈的解决方案。目前的项目旨在表征PD的步态障碍，如步态冻结（FoG），并应用振动触觉生物反馈作为康复干预。拟议项目的K99阶段将在健康对照受试者和PD受试者中进行实验室研究，以表征运动，FoG发作（Aim I），并确定增强本体感觉与相位依赖的振动触觉生物反馈对步态障碍的影响（Aim II）。项目的K00阶段将转化K99阶段的结果，以表征PD受试者在家庭环境中的运动和FoG (Aim III)，并探索在正常日常活动中使用生物反馈改善运动的可能性（Aim IV）。为了实现我的目标，我需要获得与临床和转化研究相关的专业知识，在帕金森病的病理生理学方面，并完善我的信号处理技能。我还需要额外的关于临床问题的拨款和写作方面的培训。我经验丰富的导师团队对这个项目的成功至关重要。Fay Horak博士（PT）和John Nutt博士（MD）是帕金森病平衡和步态障碍研究领域的两位杰出研究人员，他们有着悠久的富有成效的合作历史、NIH的持续资助和成功的指导。James McNames博士是一名电子工程师，擅长身体运动的信号处理，利用惯性传感器开发运动功能障碍的客观测量。俄勒冈健康与科学大学优秀的科研环境与我的职业目标非常契合。我在OHSU可以获得的重要资源包括俄勒冈临床和转化研究所（提供研究援助和统计咨询），人类调查计划（提供临床研究各个方面的课程），俄勒冈帕金森中心（提供PD患者和讨论前沿研究的期刊俱乐部），平衡障碍实验室（提供设备，空间和研究援助）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Neurology department of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), with a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from University of Bologna, Italy. My current research projects in Dr. Fay Horak's laboratory focus on quantifying prescribed balance and gait tasks with body-worn sensors in subjects with Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). My long-term career goal is to establish my own independent laboratory, and objectively characterize, understand, and monitor mobility impairments in patients with neurological disorders by means of wearable sensors, in order to develop tailored rehabilitation interventions, such as biofeedback-based solutions. The current project aims to characterize gait disturbances in PD, such as Freezing of Gait (FoG), and apply a vibrotactile biofeedback as a rehabilitation intervention. The K99 phase of the proposed project will perform laboratory studies in healthy control subjects and subjects with PD to characterize locomotion, FoG episodes (Aim I) and to determine the effects of enhanced proprioception, with phase-dependent vibrotactile biofeedback, on gait disturbances (Aim II). The K00 phase of the project will then translate results of the K99 phase to characterize locomotion and FoG in PD subjects' home environment (Aim III) and explore the possibility of improving locomotion with biofeedback during normal daily activities (Aim IV). To achieve my goal, I need to gain expertise in issues related to clinical and translational research, in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, and to refine my signal processing skills. I also need additional training in grantsmanship and writing related to clinical problems. My experienced team of mentors will be critical to the success of this project. Dr. Fay Horak, Ph.D., PT, and Dr. John Nutt, MD, are two of the preeminent researchers in the study of balance and gait disorders in Parkinson's disease, with a long history of productive collaboration, continuous NIH funding, and successful mentoring. Dr. James McNames, Ph.D., is an electrical engineer with expertise in signal process of body motion to develop objective measures of motor dysfunction using inertial sensors. The outstanding research environment provided by Oregon Health & Science University is a perfect match for my career goals. Important resources available to me at OHSU include the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (which provides research assistance and statistical consultation), the Human Investigations Program (which provides courses in all aspects of clinical research), the Parkinson's Center of Oregon (which provides access to patients with PD and a journal club for discussing cutting-edge research), the Balance Disorders Laboratory (which provides equipment, space and research assistance).