Exploring New Brain Stimulation to Improve Walking in Parkinson’s

Many people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience walking difficulties, including something known as freezing of gait (FoG)—a temporary, involuntary inability to move the feet, often described as feeling “stuck.” These symptoms can greatly affect independence and quality of life and are often difficult to manage with medication alone. Researchers wanted to find out if a new type of brain stimulation—theta burst deep brain stimulation (TBS-DBS)—could improve walking and reduce freezing episodes in people with Parkinson’s. They also measured brain activity using a portable EEG device to better understand how this treatment might work. How the Study Was Done The study included 15 people with Parkinson’s disease and 12 people without Parkinson’s (controls), matched by age. All participants with Parkinson’s had been using deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the subthalamic nucleus, a common treatment area for movement symptoms. Participants completed a standardized walking course that simulated everyday walking challenges. They tried three types of stimulation in random order: OFF-DBS – no stimulation, cDBS – conventional continuous stimulation, TBS-DBS – the new “theta burst” pattern. Brain activity and body movements were recorded using mobile EEG and wearable sensors. What the Researchers Found As a whole, TBS-DBS did not show better results than conventional DBS (cDBS) when looking at the main walking performance measure. However, 7 out of 15 participants with Parkinson’s said they preferred TBS-DBS or found it to be at least as helpful as their regular DBS. Brain recordings showed both cDBS and TBS-DBS affected motor areas of the brain, though the exact brain activity patterns were slightly different between the two stimulation types. Takeaway Message While TBS-DBS did not outperform conventional DBS for all participants, some people felt it improved their walking, and their brain activity reflected meaningful changes. These early findings suggest that TBS-DBS may be helpful for certain individuals, and more research with larger groups and longer observation times is needed. This research offers hope for more personalized treatment options in the future to help people with Parkinson’s move more freely and confidently.