INTRODUCTION Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait also experience sudden motor blocks (freezing) during other repetitive motor tasks. We assessed the proportion of patients with advanced PD and freezing of gait who also displayed segmental "freezing" in tapping tasks. METHODS Fifteen Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait were assessed. Freezing of gait was evaluated...

OBJECTIVE Bradykinesia is one of the clinical hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical Parkinsonian syndromes. Clinical ratings scales and technology-based assessments have been developed to measure bradykinesia. We review the different tools that exist for measurement of bradykinesia and analyze their reliability and applicability to PD and atypical Parkinsonian syndromes. METHODS ...

Classical motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and axial symptoms are graded in the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) III. It is yet to be ascertained whether parkinsonian motor symptoms are associated with different anatomical patterns of neurodegeneration as reflected by brain grey matter (GM) alterati...

OBJECTIVES To examine whether the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) independently predicts recurrent falls in people with Parkinson's disease. DESIGN The study used a longitudinal cohort design. SUBJECTS A total of 110 patients with Parkinson's disease completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Most of the patients had moderate disease severity. METHODS...

OBJECTIVES To describe the prevalence and clinical determinants of apathy in elderly nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their relationship to quality of life (QoL). METHODS A total of 106 nondemented elderly patients with PD were examined using the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Starkstein Apathy Scale, Hospital Anxiety and ...

BACKGROUND Pathologic alterations in resting-state brain activity patterns exist among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Since physical exercise alters resting-state brain activity in non-PD populations and improves PD symptoms, we assessed the acute effect of exercise on resting-state brain activity in exercise-trained individuals with PD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Resting-state functional...

This article presents the revision process, major innovations, and clinimetric testing program for the Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), known as the MDS-UPDRS. The UPDRS is the most widely used scale for the clinical study of Parkinson's disease (PD). The MDS previously organized a critique of the UPDRS, which cited many...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of participation in a 2-year community-based dance class on disease severity and functional mobility in people with Parkinson disease (PD). DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTINGS/LOCATION Dance classes took place in a community-based location. Outcome measures were collected in a university laboratory. PATIENTS Ten individuals with PD were randomly...

BACKGROUND The MDS-UPDRS (Movement Disorders Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) is the most widely used scale for rating impairment in PD. Subscores measuring bradykinesia have low reliability that can be subject to rater variability. Novel technological tools can be used to overcome such issues. OBJECTIVE To systematically explore and describe the available technologies for ...

Purpose. To evaluate the feasibility of assessing a person's symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) in their home using the videoconferencing technology they already possess, without a home visit. Method. Eleven participants with PD completed the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) face-to-face and then via videoconferencing within a two-week period. Par...