Neural Control of Gait Functions in Parkinson’s Disease

Using chronically implanted electrodes in motor cortical areas and the basal ganglia, we stream continuous local field potential activity from patients in order to characterize the neurophysiology of gait initiation, continuous locomotion, turning, and gait adaptation. Additionally, we can characterize biomarkers of pathological gait patterns such as gait destination and freezing of gait.

Featured Publications

Bath JE, Wang DD. Unraveling the threads of stability: A review of the neurophysiology of postural control in Parkinson's disease. Neurotherapeutics. 2024 Apr 4;21(3):e00354. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00354. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38579454; PMCID: PMC11000188.

Rahimpour S, Gaztanaga W, Yadav AP, Chang SJ, Krucoff MO, Cajigas I, Turner DA, Wang DD. Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease: Invasive and Noninvasive Neuromodulation. Neuromodulation. 2020 Dec 26. doi: 10.1111/ner.13347. PMID: 33368872.

Wang DD and Choi JT. Brain network oscillations during Gait in Parkinson’s disease. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2020 Oct 14:568703. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.568703. PMID: 33192399.