Grant: Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Aging

BACKGROUND: long-term use of medication to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) will cause involuntary movements named dyskinesia. The impact of these involuntary movements has been studied by our group and were found to have minimal impact of the ability of patients to perform simple tasks, at least at the onset of their appearance, and when their amplitude is minimal. However, what is not known is how these involuntary movements influence the daily lives of patients and their spouse (dyad), and when they become troublesome. SPECIFIC AIMS AND METHODOLOGY: In this research, we answer the following questions (1) what is the effect of dyskinesia on the physical and social participation of patients and their spouse? (2) What are the characteristics of dyskinesia when they have a significant impact of the lives of the dyad? To answer these questions, patients will first be evaluated clinically, and then be asked, as well as their spouse, to wear sensors to assess several mobility measures such as activity levels, number and speed of walking steps, time spent inside/outside the home, the amount of time spent together and apart and the extent of their mobility outside the home. The impact of dyskinesia on each variable captured by the sensors in the dyad will be compared between the patient and spouse, both during times when dyskinesia is present or not. Using these results, will identify when dyskinesia becomes problematic, and we will devise a novel way to tabulate scores of clinical scales to help identify those patients with troublesome dyskinesia. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: This study will allow us, for the first time, to determine how side effects of medication affects the daily lives of Canadians living with PD and their spouse. It will also allow for the refinement of current clinical evaluations to better identify troublesome dyskinesia that may affect both the patient and spouse's quality of life, in turn helping clinicians improve their management of dyskinesia.