Visual control of locomotion in people with Parkinsons disease

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Gait impairments are a core feature in Parkinson’s disease and patients become more visually dependent to compensate for their motor deficits. Yet, visual disturbances are a common, but often overlooked problem in Parkinson’s disease, that may lead to unsafe locomotion. To navigate efficiently through complex real-world environments, eye movements need to be attuned to the locomotor task. Gaze anticipation during walking and turning is critical for motor anticipation, and contributes to the spatial perception during motion. The overall goal of this project is to characterize how gaze is attenuated to different aspect of the environment and how visual function relates to dynamic stability during walking in complex real-world settings. The specific aims are: I. To determine the effect of path complexity on visual control of locomotion. II. To determine the effect of medication state on visual control of locomotion. III. To investigate how cognition is related to visual control of locomotion. Building upon technological advances, this project aims to determine the contribution of visual function and cognition on gait outcomes in people with Parkinson's disease in complex real-world settings with the goal to inform future interventions.