Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Half of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) report fatigue as a major disabling symptom. It interferes with daily mobility and productivity in addition to reducing quality of life. Perceived fatigue has been linked to walking difficulties experienced during daily activities, and associated with postural impairments and gait disturbances in adults with PD. Objectives: This pilot project aims to explore the experience of fatigue, and its influence on locomotor control and gait performance in PD. Hypothesis: Adults with PD who report fatigue will have greater gait disturbances and make more errors during complex walking than those who do not. Methods: 24 participants with PD will be recruited for this study, with half of the participants reporting fatigue during daily activities (fatigue group). In the first visit, participants will become familiarized with the testing environment and with the walking task. During the second and third visits, participants will walk for 30 minutes either performing steering or straight walking before undergoing a PET scanning to measure brain areas that were activated during walking. Inertial sensors and electromyography will also be used during walking and number of errors as well as freezing of gait (FOG) will be evaluated during the entire exercise 21. Data analysis: Data for the fatigue group will be compared to the non-fatigue group for all measures. PET scan images will be analyzed to determine which areas were most active during walking.). Information from the inertial sensors will be used to evaluate factors of gait including stride length and duration and steps per turns. Relevance: To date, the pathophysiology of fatigue in PD remains poorly understood. This pilot project has the potential to enhance Canadian research on the multidimensionality of fatigue in PD and its influence on mobility and ambulatory activities in daily-life.