| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/T21288/01 |
| Title: |
Walking in cluttered environments: visual influences on gait in Parkinson's disease |
| Principal Investigator: |
Harris, Professor J |
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| Department: |
Sch of Psychology and Clinical Lang Sci |
| Organisation: |
University of Reading |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 2005 |
Ends: |
30 November 2008 |
Value (£): |
170,842
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Cognitive Science Appl. in ICT |
Medical science & disease |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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An important disabling aspect of Parkinson's disease (PD) is a difficulty in walking through cluttered environments such as doorways and crowded rooms, which manifests itself in collisions or'freezing' episodes, in which the sufferer cannot move. From previous work, it is known that PD sufferers may be distracted by irrelevant visual stimuli which impair initiation of movements (as would be likely in a cluttered environment), and may experience distortions of perceived space and the relationship of their bodies to it (and so collisions would be likely). However, these studies have been done with static seated participants. Conversely, almost all studies of PD gait have been made in featureless environments. We propose to combine these 2 approaches by measuring slowing, hesitation and veering in PD, as patients negotiate doorways and other objects, using a computerised multi-camera non-invasive method and motion analysis software, with systematic variations of the visual characteristics if the environment . The same patients will also be tested while seated with displays which have been used to demonstrate perceptual impairments in PD, together with some novel methods of measuring hemifield asymmetries in the perception of motion. Thus it will be possible to relate the particular pattern of motor impairments in individuals to their perceptual and attentional impairments, and suggest which environmental features should be avoided to optimise mobility in PD.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.rdg.ac.uk |