Freezing of gait is associated with increased saccade latency and variability in Parkinson’s disease

Publication date: June 2016
Source:Clinical Neurophysiology, Volume 127, Issue 6
Author(s): Samuel T. Nemanich, Gammon M. Earhart
ObjectiveFreezing of gait (FOG) is a locomotor disturbance in Parkinson disease (PD) related to impaired motor automaticity. In this study, we investigated the impact of freezing on automaticity in the oculomotor system using an anti-saccade paradigm.MethodsSubjects with PD with (PD–FOG, n=13) and without (PD–NON, n=13) FOG, and healthy age-matched controls (CTRL, n=12) completed automatic pro-saccades and non-automatic anti-saccades. Primary outcomes were saccade latency, velocity, and gain.ResultsPD–FOG (pro-saccade latency=271ms, anti-saccade latency=412ms) were slower to execute both types of saccades compared to PD–NON (253ms, 330ms) and CTRL (246ms, 327ms). Saccade velocity and gain variability was also increased in PD–FOG.ConclusionsSaccade performance was affected in PD–FOG for both types of saccades, indicating differences in automaticity and control in the oculomotor system related to freezing.SignificanceThese results and others show that FOG impacts non-gait motor functions, suggesting global motor impairment in PD–FOG.



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