A Multimodal Approach on Parkinson’s Disease: Structural and Functional Analysis in Freezing of Gait

Parkinsons disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting more than 23,500 people in Quebec. Freezing of gait (FoG), a disabling motor symptom characterized by the sudden inability to initiate or continue walking, occurs in up to 80% of patients in advanced stages increasing fall risk and reeducing quality of life. While structural, diffusion, and functional MRI studies have each revealed brain alterations associated with FoG, no work has integrated these modalities.
This project aims to identify multimodal biomarkers of FoG in PD by combining voxel-based morphometry, diffusion MRI tractometry, and resting-state functional connectivity. MRI datasets from MexPD (UNAM) and HBCL (McGill) patients will be preprocessed using standardized softwares. Structural analyses will examine gray matter volume, diffusion metrics will study white matter integrity tractography, and functional connectivity will be analyzed in locomotor networks. Multimodal overlap will be assessed by mapping convergence across modalities and testing associations with clinical measures.
This will be the first multimodal study of FoG, bridging disconnection with functional network and relating these to gait impairments. This research has the potential to improve early detection and guide rehabilitation strategies supporting mobility and independence in people with PD across Canadian and Mexican cohorts.

Faculty Supervisor:

Caroline Paquette

Student:

Partner:

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program: