Where Do Parkinson's Disease Patients Look While Walking?

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with gait and visuomotor abnormalities, but it is not clear where PD patients look during ambulation.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to characterize the visual areas of interest explored by PD patients, with and without freezing of gait (FOG), compared to healthy volunteers (HVs).

METHODS

Using an eye-tracking device, we compared visual fixation patterns in 17 HVs and 18 PD patients, with and without FOG, during an ambulatory and a nonambulatory, computer-based task.

RESULTS

During ambulation, PD patients with FOG fixated more on proximal areas of the ground and less on the target destination. PD patients without FOG displayed a fixation pattern more similar to that of HVs. Similar patterns were observed during the nonambulatory, computer-based task.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest increased dependence on visual feedback from nearby areas in the environment in PD patients with FOG, even in the absence of motor demands. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.