Objective: Objective: The study aims to characterize surface electromyography (EMG) activity in the distal and proximal leg muscles of 17 participants with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience Freezing of Gait (FOG). EMG activity was analyzed in non-FOG walking, before and during freezing episodes initiating gait, turning (90°- 180°), walking straight, and turning in a narrow space.

Background: Background: FOG is an intermittent walking disturbance that affects functional mobility. It is critical to better understand the mechanisms leading to freezing. Findings from our previous EMG study [1] demonstrated that people with FOG exhibit higher levels of muscular co-contraction and lower levels of muscle activation when completing a repetitive stepping activity. Additionally, muscle activity was shown to be more variable before, during, and after a freezing episode.

Method: Method: Data from 17 participants with PD who experienced FOG was collected. Participants were asked to complete 30 gait trials in a FOG triggering pathway [figure 1]. Data was collected using plantar-pressure insoles, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and EMG. Data was labelled and windowed using a 1 s window with a 0.2 s shift between windows. The Pre-FOG segment was defined as the 2 s period before FOG episode onset [figure 2]. Statistical analyses: Shapiro-Wilk tests will be run for normality for RMS, Frequency Domain Features, and Waveform-Shape-Features of the eight muscles analyzed. Linear Mixed Effects Models will be used followed by Bonferroni post-hoc corrections when allowed.

Results: Results: Preliminary observational results showed that participants had higher freezing episodes while turning in the narrow space compared to the open space. It is expected that EMG activity will differ between these two conditions across features. In addition, based on our previous results [1], we expect the EMG activity to differ between non-freezing walking and before freezing.

Conclusion: Conclusion: Upon completion, our study will determine muscle activity patterns leading to a freezing episode during functional gait activities and determine how task difficulty affects muscle activation before and during the freezing episode. Therefore, this study will help identify the functional causes of FOG to inform the development of evidence-based rehabilitation programs and smart devices to detect and prevent FOG to improve functional mobility in people with PD.

figure 1

figure 2

References: 1. Cantú H, Nantel J, Millán M, Paquette C, Côté JN. Abnormal Muscle Activity and Variability Before, During, and After the Occurrence of Freezing in Parkinson’s Disease. Front Neurol. 2019;10:951. doi:10.3389/fneur.2019.00951
2. Pardoel S, Shalin G, Lemaire ED, Kofman J, Nantel J. Grouping successive freezing of gait episodes has neutral to the detrimental effect on freeze detection and prediction in Parkinson’s disease. PLOS ONE. 2021;16(10):e0258544. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258544
3. Pardoel S, Shalin G, Nantel J, Lemaire ED, Kofman J. Early Detection of Freezing of Gait during Walking Using Inertial Measurement Unit and Plantar Pressure Distribution Data. Sensors. 2021;21(6):2246. doi:10.3390/s21062246

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/characterization-of-muscle-activity-before-and-during-freezing-of-gait-episodes/