Detecting Freezing of Gait in Parkinson Disease Using Multiple Wearable Sensors Sets During Various Walking Tasks Relative to Medication Conditions (DetectFoG): Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study.

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BackgroundFreezing of gait (FoG) is one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD). Detecting and monitoring episodes of FoG are important in the medical follow-up of patients to assess disease progression and functional impact and to adjust treatment accordingly. Although several questionnaires exist, they lack objectivity. Using wearable sensors such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) to detect FoG episodes offers greater objectivity and accuracy. There is no consensus on the number and location of IMU, type of algorithm, and method of triggering and scoring the FoG episodes.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to investigate the use of multiple wearable sensors sets to detect FoG in patients with PD during various walking tasks under different medication conditions.MethodsThis single-center, prospective cohort study (DetectFoG) will include 18 patients with PD. Patients will be fitted with 7 IMUs and will walk a freezing-provoking path under different tasks-"single task," "dual motor task," or "dual cognitive task"-and medical conditions corresponding to levodopa medication ("on" or "off"). Passages will be videotaped, and 2 movement disorder specialists will identify FoG episodes in the videos. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the most effective combination of wearable sensors for detecting FoG episodes will be studied.ResultsThe study is currently in the data collection phase, having commenced recruitment in February 2024. Once all data have been gathered, the data analysis will commence. As of August 2024, 3 patients have been recruited. It is anticipated that the results will be published by the end of 2025.ConclusionsDetecting FoG episodes in various medical and clinical settings would provide a more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. Furthermore, it would enable reliable and objective monitoring of the progression of this symptom based on treatments and the natural course of the disease. This could serve as an objective tool for monitoring patients and assessing the severity and frequency of FoG.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT05822258; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05822258.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/58612.

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