Perception of Affordances and Obstacle Crossing in People With Parkinson's Disease and Healthy Adults

Recruiting

• Conditions: Parkinson's Disease (PD)

• Registration Number: NCT06932679
• Lead Sponsor: University of Haifa

Brief Summary

This study aims to explore how young adults, older adults and people with Parkinson's disease (PwP), perceive their abilty to cross obstacles while walking, and how this perception is related to their actual performance of obstacle crossing and disease-related motor and cognitive impairments. The study will explore this percepeption and the actual performance in different walking environments(floor, synthetic grass turf). Understanding how people perceive obstacles may help improve rehabilitation methods and reduce the risk of falls. The study will take place at the Motor Performance Laboratory, University of Haifa, and will include walking tasks, eye-tracking measurements, and motor and cognitive assessments.

Detailed Description

This study investigates the role of affordance perception - the ability to perceive opportunities for action - during obstacle crossing in people with Parkinson's disease (PwP). Falls are highly prevalent in PwP, often resulting from tripping over obstacles. While previous research has mainly focused on gait impairments, this study uniquely examines the perceptual stage that precedes movement and the association between perception, cognition, and motor performance.

Participants will include 60 PwP and 120 healthy adults (60 older adults and 60 young adults). All participants will perform walking tasks involving obstacle crossing under different environmental conditions (e.g., different obstacle heights and surfaces). Prior to walking, participants will judge whether they can safely cross the obstacle. Eye-tracking glasses will measure visual exploration patterns to assess how participants scan the environment. Additionally, walking variables such as speed and step length, will be recorded using wearable sensors.

The study will explore:

1. Differences in affordance perception between PwP and healthy adults.

2. Associations between motor and cognitive impairments and affordance perception in PwP.

3. How affordance perception relates to gait performance during obstacle crossing.

Results from this study may help to develop new intervention strategies aimed at improving safe walking and obstacle negotiation in PwP.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-04
• Study First Submitted: 2025-04-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-04-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-04-10
• Study First Posted: 2025-04-17
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-17
• Study Start: 2025-04-24
• Primary Completion: 2028-04-24
• Study Completion: 2028-06-24

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 180

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants aged 20 to 80 years.
• Ability to walk independently outdoors without assistive devices.
• For Parkinson's Disease (PD) group: Diagnosis of PD confirmed by medical records.
• For healthy control groups: No neurological or orthopedic conditions affecting gait.

Exclusion Criteria

• Feezing of gait (for PD group only), based on a score greater than 0 on the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire.
• Severe visual impairment that cannot be corrected with glasses or lenses.
• Cognitive impairment, defined as a score below 18 on the telephone-based Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
• Any orthopedic condition, pain, or other medical condition that may affect walking, based on self-report.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Affordance Perception Accuracy	During single laboratory session (about 3 hours)	Accuracy of participants' perception of their ability to cross obstacles of varying height and surface conditions. Participants will judge whether they can safely cross an obstacle prior to walking.
Affordances measured by gaze behavior	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	Eye movement patterns during obstacle approach and crossing. Gaze behavior will be recorded using wearable eye-tracking glasses (Tobii Pro Glasses 3) to assess visual exploration of the walking environment and obstacle. Measures will include fixation(on obstacle) duration (milisecondes).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cognitive Performance - Stroop Test (NeuroTrax Cognitive Battery)	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	Cognitive function will be assessed using the computerized NeuroTrax Cognitive Battery. Specifically, performance on the Stroop test will be used to evaluate executive function, focusing on response inhibition and attention control. The Stroop test provides accuracy and reaction time scores, with higher scores reflecting better performance.
Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS)	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	Disease severity will be assessed using the MDS-UPDRS (Motor Examination). This standardized clinical assessment measures motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease, including tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural stability. Higher scores indicate greater motor impairment.
Walking Speed	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	Walking speed during obstacle crossing tasks, measured using wearable sensors (APDM Mobility Lab). Walking speed will be calculated in meters per second based on time and distance walked during the trials.
Step Length	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	Step length during obstacle crossing tasks, measured using wearable sensors (APDM Mobility Lab). Step length will be calculated in meters for each leg during walking trials, as an indicator of gait characteristics and stability.
Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose (LEDD)	During a single laboratory session (approximately 3 hours)	The total daily dose of antiparkinsonian medications will be calculated for participants with Parkinson's disease using the standardized Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose (LEDD) formula. Higher values indicate greater medication use.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Haifa, Motor Performance Laboratory; 🇮🇱 Haifa, Israel