Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41213706›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

VReeze: an open-source virtual reality for the examination of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease - a study design of a crossover repeated measures study for validation.

Tarique Siragy, Yuri Russo, Stephanie Hirschbichler, Julie Nantel, Philipp Wegscheider, Hannes Schweiger, Mark Simonlehner, Manuela Kisiel, Brian Horsak

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Tarique SiragyCenter for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria tarique.siragy@fhstp.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0808-0450
Yuri RussoPublic Health & Sport Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Stephanie HirschbichlerDepartment of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Sankt Pölten, Sankt Pölten, Austria.
Julie NantelHealth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Philipp WegscheiderCenter for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
Hannes SchweigerCenter for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
Mark SimonlehnerCenter for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
Manuela KisielDepartment of Physical Therapy, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
Brian HorsakCenter for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Fachhochschule Sankt Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionParkinson's disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, with up to 70% of patients exhibiting freezing of gait (FOG). FOG is defined as transient episodes when one is unable to effectively engage in the stepping process (despite the intention to walk), which decreases or completely ceases forward movement. Although several FOG triggers have been identified, eliciting FOG remains challenging in research, hindering progress in research and therapy. Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising approach to evoke FOG during overground walking by combining environmental and neuropsychological triggers. This project aims to validate an existing open-source VR-FOG toolbox that integrates multiple triggers.

methodsA within-subject repeated measures crossover study design with a 1-hour washout period will be used for this project to validate the VR-FOG toolbox. This will consist of three blocks (baseline non-VR, VR non-FOG and VR-FOG). All participants will first complete a baseline walking trial without VR, then be randomised to either the VR non-FOG environment-a virtual replica of the laboratory-or the VR-FOG environment containing multiple virtual FOG triggers. After a 1-hour washout period, they will complete the remaining VR condition. A crossover design will minimise ordering effects of VR conditions on FOG frequency and duration. Twenty participants with Parkinson's disease with FOG will be tested at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (Austria) and 20 at the University of Exeter (UK) and will be recruited from local communities. Multisite testing will verify that the VR-FOG environment triggers FOG regardless of testing location. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the Lower Austrian Ethics Commission and the University of Exeter review boards. All data will be anonymised, used solely for this project and securely stored in General Data Protection Regulation-compliant repositories. Study results will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Indexed as

Gait Disorders, NeurologicParkinson DiseaseVirtual RealityCross-Over StudiesFemaleHumansMaleResearch DesignWalkingGaitGait AnalysisParkinson-s diseaseREHABILITATION MEDICINEVirtual Reality

Identifiers

PMID41213706
PMCPMC12598973

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.