---
title: Reduce freezing episodes while walking
nct_id: NCT06848205
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: University of Minnesota
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06848205"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06848205"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:05:38.545Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Reduce freezing episodes while walking

**Goal (in five words):** Reduce freezing episodes while walking

**Official Title:** Basal Ganglia Contributions to Transitions in Freezing of Gait and Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT06848205](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06848205)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** University of Minnesota
- **Target Enrollment:** 36 participants
- **Start Date:** 2026-02-26
- **Completion Date:** 2028-12-01
- **Conditions:** Freezing of Gait, Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** OFF Parkinson's Medication(s), OFF Deep Brain Stimulation
- **Intervention Types:** OTHER

## Summary For Families

Researchers want to pinpoint what changes in basal ganglia activity trigger freezing of gait, so future treatments could detect or prevent those sudden stops. To do that, people who already have a Medtronic Percept DBS device will briefly stop levodopa and other Parkinson's medications and have their stimulator turned off while the implant records brain signals during walking, letting investigators see the neural patterns that precede or accompany freezing without medication or stimulation masking them. They are looking for adults 21 to 75 with idiopathic Parkinson's who can walk 50 meters without an assistive device and who have had a Percept device activated for at least 3 months, while people with other major neurodegenerative, visual, vestibular, musculoskeletal problems, dementia, or pregnancy are excluded.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 21 Years
- **Maximum age:** 75 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of idiopathic PD.
* Age 21-75 (see Inclusion of Individuals across the Lifespan for justification of age range).
* Able to ambulate independently without the use of an assistive device (e.g. cane) for 50 meters.
* Implanted Medtronic Percept TM Device.
* At least 3 months since the initial activation of the neurostimulator.
* Undervalued, under-represented, or disenfranchised social group may be included.
* Active members of the military (service members), DoD personnel (including civilian employees) may be included.
* Individual or group that is disadvantaged in the distribution of social goods and services such as income, housing, or healthcare may be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Meet criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies, Multiple Systems Atrophy, Alzheimer's disease, or other neurodegenerative disorder.
* History of seizures or other significant neurological disorders that may affect participation or performance in the study.
* History of musculoskeletal disorders that significantly affect walking or movement of limb(s) that would affect the participation in the experimental task (Participants will be excluded from that task, but may participate in other tasks, for example, may be excluded from Experiment 1 if the disorder affects walking, but may still participate in Experiment 3).
* History of muscular conditions of the neck and back, including whiplash that would affect walking experiments.
* History of visual and/or vestibular conditions that may affect participation or performance in the study.
* Reduced capacity to consent. This will be assessed using a 2-stage process. Initially, participants will be tested using the University of California, San Diego, Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC). If concerns are raised from the UBACC test, the individual will be further tested using the MacArthur Competency Assessment Tool.
* Pregnant people.
* Post-operative complications or adverse effects (e.g. ON stimulation dystonia) that affect patient safety or confound the experiment.
```

## Locations (1)

- University of Minnesota, Movement Disorders Lab, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States _(44.9800, -93.2638)_
  - Madison Aasen, MS — (CONTACT) — 612-505-8325 — aasen056@umn.edu
  - Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD — (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

## Central Contacts

- Madison Aasen, MS — (CONTACT) — 612-505-8325 — aasen056@umn.edu
- Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD — (CONTACT) — 612-301-1297 — slamunds@umn.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06848205*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06848205*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06848205*