Researchers at UCSF have developed a new, personalized approach to deep brain stimulation (DBS) that significantly improves walking in people with Parkinson’s disease.
The study, published in npj Parkinson’s Disease, offers new hope for treating one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s—gait problems.
People with Parkinson’s often experience changes in how they walk, known as “Parkinson’s gait.”
This can include shorter steps, uneven movement between legs, and a slower pace. These walking issues can increase the risk of falls and greatly reduce a person’s quality of life.
While DBS is already used to ease symptoms like tremors and stiffness, its effects on walking have been less consistent—especially in advanced stages of the disease.
To solve this problem, UCSF researchers treated DBS as an engineering challenge.
They developed a method to measure walking performance in detail and used machine learning to discover the best brain stimulation settings for each person.
These customized settings led to meaningful improvements in patients’ walking, including quicker, more stable steps—all without worsening other symptoms.
During the study, patients were implanted with a special DBS device that could both stimulate their brain and record brain activity while they walked.
At clinic visits, doctors adjusted each patient’s DBS settings to see how their walking changed. Patients walked repeatedly around a short loop while sensors captured detailed data about their movements and brain activity.
To evaluate walking quality, the team created a new tool called the Walking Performance Index (WPI). This index measured factors such as step length, walking speed, and arm swing.
By combining these features into one score, the WPI provided a well-rounded view of how well someone could walk. The results from the WPI matched closely with how both doctors and patients rated walking ability, confirming it was a reliable way to track progress.
The team also identified brain activity patterns linked to better walking. They found that when certain brain signals, especially those in the beta frequency range, decreased during specific moments in the walking cycle, patients moved more smoothly.
These signals came from a part of the brain called the globus pallidus, which plays a role in controlling movement and is often affected in Parkinson’s.
This research highlights the power of personalized, data-driven treatment. By tailoring DBS settings to each patient’s unique brain activity and walking patterns, doctors can now offer smarter, more targeted therapy.
The team hopes to take this further by developing automated systems that can analyze walking in real time, helping to fine-tune DBS settings even outside the clinic.
With wearable devices and motion-tracking technology, continuous and precise monitoring could become a reality, bringing more freedom and mobility to people living with Parkinson’s.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how wheat gluten might be influencing our brain health, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health..
