Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2020-2021)

Parkinsons disease is the second most common progressive disorder of the nervous system.x000D
Parkinsons disease symptoms include slowed movements with impaired posture andx000D
balance, freezing of gait (defined as feet glued to the floor) and falls. Every yearx000D
approximately 5,500 new cases are diagnosed in Canada, costing more than $30 billionx000D
annually to the Canadian healthcare system. The traditional dopamine therapy and otherx000D
alternative technologies (such as enhanced eye glasses or deep brain stimulation) have littlex000D
to no effect on improving the walking pattern of individuals with Parkinsons disease or arex000D
invasive and expensive to administer. Therefore, there is a crucial need for novelx000D
technologies to improve gait pattern in individuals with Parkinsons disease. Building onx000D
recent technological advancements of the team, an innovative technology is proposed tox000D
assist individuals with Parkinsons Disease to restore their ability to walk in environments theyx000D
find to be challenging, thus improving their independence.