Objective: To evaluate the effect of one session treatment with autometed mechanical peripheral stimulation (AMPS) on gait and motor functions of patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: It has been reported that both electrical and mechanical stimulation, including the rhythmic vibratory stimulation of trunk muscles or of the soles, ameliorated gait in PD. Considering this background a medical device (GondolaTM, Ecker Technologies, Switzerland) based on automated mechanical peripheral stimulation (AMPS) is now on sale in Italy. It appears promising for improving motor symptoms, especiallly gait and stability, in PD patients (Galli M. et al, 2015, Stocchi F. et al, 2015), but as far as we know a randomized clinical trial (RCT) is missing.

Methods: We have designed a double blind RCT that has, up to now, involved 35 patients, 26 males and 9 females, (mean age 69,7) with idiopathic PD (Hoehn & Yhar scale 2.5–4). Fifteen subjects were randomized to undergo effective AMPS at the hallux tip and first metatarsal joint of both feet; twenty patients underwent sham stimulation. PD patients underwent one session of AMPS in the med-off phase and were evaluated with UPDRS 3° and Timed Up and Go (TUG) before and after the treatment (acute phase). More med-off evaluations were carried on after 3 and 7 days.

Results: The mean improvement in UPDRS 3 for effective treated patients (for sham stimulated patients) was about 7% (2%), 18% (-8%) and 11% (-4%) respectively after the treatment, 3 and 7 days. TUG showed an improvement of about 16% along the observation period for the effective treated patients, with a substantially invariance for the other patients.

Conclusions: The findigs of this pilot study indicate that the AMPS treatment has a generally positive effect on both UPDRS 3° and walking velocity (TUG). Interestingly in the acute phase both effective and sham stimulations induced a clinical improvement in our patients while 3 days after the treatment only the effective stimulated population showed a benefit that was maintained up to 7 days after the treatment. The experiment is still in progress and more patients are expected to be involved, to improve the statistical significance of the results. We are going to keep on our investigation to properly evaluate the effectiveness of such a medical device.

« Back to 2016 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-plantar-automated-mechanical-stimulation-amps-on-motor-symptoms-of-patients-with-advanced-parkinsons-disease-preliminary-data-of-a-double-blind-randomized-clinical-trial/