Apr 9, 2021
Prof Uttama Lahiri has been selected for this fellowship for her proposed work that focuses on finding technology-based solution for rehabilitation of gait and mobility in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients. Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been reported to affect approximately 1% of individuals older than 60 years globally and causing progressive disability. Often PD is accompanied with major motor disturbances leading to gait impairments, falls, mobility loss, and reduced independence. One of the most disturbing gait disruption is related with Freezing of Gait (FOG) episodes in which one’s foot seems stuck to the ground (experienced in advanced PD stage) leading to falls. The existing best practices mostly rely on the use of pharmacological approach; but studies have shown that with progress in the disease, patients can become unresponsive to the medication beyond a certain stage. Thus, therapeutic alternatives to pharmacotherapy are in great need for individuals with PD. External cueing, e.g., visual, auditory and tactile inputs during walking can help the patients experiencing gait impairments.