{"id":1032,"date":"2019-10-29T14:26:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T14:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2019-10-29T14:28:58","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T14:28:58","slug":"parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/","title":{"rendered":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paolo Sanvito would often freeze like a statue after entering a meeting room when he was working as a manager in a multinational company. Known as freezing of gait, it\u2019s a disabling symptom of Parkinson\u2019s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that he suffers from.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During a freezing episode, a patient feels like their feet are stuck to the ground for a few seconds or more while they are trying to take a step. \u2018You can be walking or trying to stand up from a chair and your body does not respond anymore to your commands,\u2019 said Francesco Cecchini, co-founder and CEO of Gondola Medical Technologies in Switzerland. \u2018Patients can very often fall following a freezing episode.\u2019<\/p>\n

Furthermore, when other people are around, the inability to move is more likely to occur and can be more intense. In Sanvito\u2019s case, having colleagues stare at him during a meeting would result in a more extreme episode.<\/p>\n

More than half of people with advanced Parkinson\u2019s disease experience freezing of gait<\/a>\u00a0but existing treatments don\u2019t work for everyone and have limitations. Medication helped Sanvito, for example, but the effect would wear off so he had to plan his work agenda around his pill schedule.<\/p>\n

In some cases, physiotherapy can also alleviate the symptom, especially if combined with cues such as stepping sideways first or timing steps to a rhythmic beat. And deep brain stimulation (DBS) \u2013 a procedure where two electrodes are implanted in the brain and stimulated with electrical impulses \u2013 can provide relief but requires major surgery and can cause discomfort.<\/p>\n

Better treatments for freezing of gait are therefore needed. Dr AmirAli Farokhniaee, a post-doctoral fellow in the neuromuscular systems lab at University College Dublin in Ireland, and his colleagues are focussing on improving DBS as part of the\u00a0DBS Model project<\/a>\u00a0led by Professor Madeleine Lowery.\u00a0\u2018It can work for rigidity of gait but I think we can still make it better because there is a percentage of people that don\u2019t get all the therapeutic benefits,\u2019 said Dr Farokhniaee.<\/p>\n

The team also wants to make the therapy less invasive. Initially, this could be by using shorter electrodes that don\u2019t penetrate as deeply inside the brain. They would also like to see if adding pauses between pulses instead of constant stimulation could be more comfortable for patients while having the same effect.<\/p>\n

Brain mechanisms<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freezing of gait is hard to address since the brain mechanisms responsible for it remain unclear. Several brain regions, such as some related to motion and anxiety, seem to be involved, as well as failing brain networks. For example, it has recently been found that when healthy individuals walk, communication between the subthalamic nucleus and cortex \u2013 two key areas that play a role in locomotion \u2013 are synchronised. But during freezing of gait,\u00a0the activity is decoupled<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, how DBS works and why it gives patients relief isn\u2019t fully understood. \u2018It\u2019s like a technician who changes a resistor in a circuit, and he doesn’t really know what happens in the electric circuitry but it’s working,\u2019 said Dr Farokhniaee.<\/p>\n

The therapy typically stimulates the subthalamic nucleus, where the misfiring of neurons is linked to problems with movement experienced by Parkinson\u2019s patients. However, identifying additional areas involved in freezing of gait and other symptoms could lead to new targets.<\/p>\n

A portable device that stimulates two areas of the foot could help prevent freezing of gait episodes. Image credit: Gondola MedTech SA<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s first step is therefore to try and uncover how DBS is affecting the brain by creating computer simulations. They are mimicking the therapy on models of different parts of the brain to see how their activity or functions change. \u2018This is one of the very basic things that we have to do,\u2019 said Dr Farokhniaee. \u2018With the simulations, we can improve current methods of deep brain stimulation.\u2019<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Cecchini and his colleagues are testing whether\u00a0stimulating an entirely different\u00a0part of the body – the feet – could improve communication between body and brain to\u00a0treat\u00a0freezing of gait.<\/p>\n

Cecchini and his colleagues have developed a portable device, called\u00a0Gondola<\/a>, that can be used at home. When attached to a patient\u2019s feet, it physically stimulates two areas on each foot \u2013 the top of the big toe and the metatarsal joint further down \u2013 for about two minutes. \u2018In most cases, the benefits are immediate and last up to three to four days following the treatment,\u2019 said Cecchini.<\/p>\n

Connectivity<\/strong><\/p>\n

The device modifies how movement is processed by the brain and spinal cord by increasing messages sent from nerves in the body. By doing fMRI brain scans of Parkinson\u2019s sufferers, Cecchini and his colleagues have also shown that the stimulation increases connectivity between the cerebellum, basal ganglia and frontal motor cortex, three key areas involved in movement. \u2018(The treatment) is the first of its kind,\u2019 said Cecchini. \u2018It’s really unique as far as results and effectiveness.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sanvito, for example, came across the Gondola device by chance and noticed immediate improvements after trying it. \u2018It allowed me to get back to normality, without needing to increase the dosage of my medications,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018You can be walking or trying to stand up from a chair and your body does not respond anymore to your commands.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Francesco Cecchini, co-founder and CEO, Gondola Medical Technologies, Switzerland<\/p>\n

Cecchini and his team are currently working on improving the device so that it can be linked to a phone app. It will be able to monitor patients and remind them to repeat the treatment if freezing of gait is starting to recur. It will also be able to remotely tweak stimulation settings, which need to be adjusted once or twice a year.<\/p>\n

The team is now exploring how the device could be used to help stroke patients too. The condition, which occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, affects about 15 million people a year worldwide. About 60% of sufferers will have long-term disabilities as a result, such as difficulty walking and balance problems.<\/p>\n

The Gondola device could, however, provide a quick fix, using the exact same treatment used for freezing of gait. \u2018From what we have seen so far, patients who have had a stroke respond very well to our treatment,\u2019 said Cecchini. \u2018It\u2019s very exciting because we are really providing people with an improvement to their life.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paolo Sanvito would often freeze like a statue after entering a meeting room when he was working as a manager in a multinational company. Known as freezing of gait, it\u2019s a disabling symptom of Parkinson\u2019s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that he suffers from. During a freezing episode, a patient feels like their feet are … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nParkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Paolo Sanvito would often freeze like a statue after entering a meeting room when he was working as a manager in a multinational company. Known as freezing of gait, it\u2019s a disabling symptom of Parkinson\u2019s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that he suffers from. During a freezing episode, a patient feels like their feet are ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1104,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2019\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Image credit - Fernandoz Himinaicela\\\/ pixabay\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1032\\\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes","og_description":"Paolo Sanvito would often freeze like a statue after entering a meeting room when he was working as a manager in a multinational company. Known as freezing of gait, it\u2019s a disabling symptom of Parkinson\u2019s disease, a degenerative brain disorder that he suffers from. During a freezing episode, a patient feels like their feet are ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes","datePublished":"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/"},"wordCount":1104,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2019","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/","name":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-29T14:26:52+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-29T14:28:58+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Image credit - Fernandoz Himinaicela\/ pixabay"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1032\/parkinsons-disease-stimulation-of-brain-feet-may-help-people-overcome-freezing-episodes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Parkinson\u2019s disease: Stimulation of brain, feet may help people overcome freezing episodes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/httpspixabay.comphotoswalking-shoes-converse-freedom-4192782.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-gE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":981,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/981\/shoe-mounted-laser-to-unfreeze-people-with-parkinsons-scoops-e1-million-prize\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":0},"title":"Shoe-mounted laser to \u2018unfreeze\u2019 people with Parkinson\u2019s scoops \u20ac1 million prize","author":"Joanna Roberts","date":"September 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A shoe-mounted laser beam that helps people with Parkinson\u2019s disease \u2018unfreeze\u2019 by shining a green line in front of their feet has been awarded the EU\u2019s \u20ac1 million\u00a0Horizon Prize for Social Innovation. The\u00a0Path Finder\u00a0device was invented in 2014 by Danish entrepreneur Lise Pape, whose father suffers from Parkinson\u2019s disease. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Having an external visual cue such as a line has been shown to reduce the number of freezing episodes in Parkinson's patients. Image credit - Walk With Path","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/screenshot-for-video-file.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/screenshot-for-video-file.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/screenshot-for-video-file.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/screenshot-for-video-file.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/screenshot-for-video-file.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2847,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2847\/brain-on-the-move-studying-the-brain-in-motion-offers-new-insights-into-parkinsons-disease\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":1},"title":"Brain on the move \u2013 studying the brain in motion offers new insights into Parkinson\u2019s disease","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"September 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A breakthrough in medical imaging is making it possible for EU-funded researchers to observe brain activity during movement and pick up the early signs of disorders that affect brain-to-body coordination, such as Parkinson\u2019s disease. By Andrew Dunne EU-funded researchers are advancing new technology that allows them to monitor brain activity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/09\/04.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2437,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2437\/new-clues-to-age-old-illnesses-emerge-in-the-gut\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":2},"title":"New clues to age-old illnesses emerge in the gut","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"July 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Links between the human intestine and diseases such as arthritis are increasingly coming to light and signal that healthy diets can help control illnesses. By\u00a0\u00a0ANTHONY KING Health in body and mind may well be rooted in the gut. The trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses in the human body\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1940,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1940\/antifreeze-fish-inspire-new-cryoprotectants-for-human-cells-and-tissues-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":3},"title":"Antifreeze fish inspire new cryoprotectants for human cells and tissues","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"January 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The idea of cryogenically freezing a person to preserve their body until many years into the future has long been a staple of science fiction stories. However, the need to reliably store biological materials such as cells or tissue is a common concern for scientific research and, increasingly, for society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":387,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/387\/mini-brains-offer-hope-in-search-for-new-drugs-for-brain-disorders\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":4},"title":"Mini-brains offer hope in search for new drugs for brain disorders","author":"Anthony King","date":"July 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Miniature brains grown in laboratory dishes could overcome some of the problems testing drugs on animals and help researchers identify new ways to treat very human, and incurable, conditions like Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. Most new drugs are developed and tested using mice as models. However, with brain disorders such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cerebral organoids allow scientists to test new drugs on human brain tissue in labs.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1780,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1780\/antifreeze-fish-inspire-new-cryoprotectants-for-human-cells-and-tissues\/","url_meta":{"origin":1032,"position":5},"title":"Antifreeze fish inspire new cryoprotectants for human cells and tissues","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The idea of cryogenically freezing a person to preserve their body until many years into the future has long been a staple of science fiction stories. However, the need to reliably store biological materials such as cells or tissue is a common concern for scientific research and, increasingly, for society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}