Understanding How Movements Are Transferred From Task to Task in Parkinson's Disease
Neural Mechanism of Skill Transfer in Parkinson's Disease
McGill University
24 participants
Nov 18, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The purpose of this study is to understand how a specific brain area, the Posterior Parietal Cortex (PPC), plays a role in movement transfer from walking on a split-belt treadmill (SBT) to walking on the ground in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). Here, investigators will apply repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to upregulate the PPC. Then, the differences in the gait parameters between pre- and post-interventions will be compared between the TMS-active and the TMS-sham.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria7
- a confirmed diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease
- absence of freezing of gait confirmed by a "No" answer to the second item of the New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOGQ) and no observation of FOG during a freezing provoking test
- no other neurological diagnosis
- no severe musculoskeletal/orthopedic or vestibular condition that interferes with walking and or significantly affects balance
- no mild cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment ≥ 25)
- able to walk independently and without assistive device for 30 minutes
- no previous experience with split-belt treadmill.
Exclusion Criteria4
- severe dyskinesia that interacts with walking and balance hearing or visual impairment
- observed inability to walk safely on a tied-belt treadmill
- neurological disorders other than PD or other pathology (e.g., orthopedic) interfering with mobility. - contradiction for TMS
- implanted deep brain stimulator.
Interventions
ACTIVE: intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (a patterned form of rTMS). The participants will receive iTBS (50hz bursts at 5Hz for 600 pulses for a total duration of 3-minutes) over the right PPC at 80% RMT of the FDI.
SHAM: 2 coils on top of each other will be used instead of 1. The coil furthest to the head will be reversed. The coil on the head will not be stimulating but the reversed coil will (current directed away from the brain) with stimulate with the same parameters at the active stimulation (intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (a patterned form of rTMS). The participants will receive iTBS (50hz bursts at 5Hz for 600 pulses for a total duration of 3-minutes) over the right PPC at 80% RMT of the FDI.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT07351032