Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to motor and non-motor impairments. One particularly debilitating symptom is freezing of gait (FOG), a phenomenon affecting approximately 30% of patients in advanced stages, where movement halts despite the intention to walk. This can lead to falls and severely impacts quality of life.Traditional treatments, including levodopa medication and deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus, provide varying degrees of symptom relief and often lose efficacy over time. Recently, non-invasive therapies have emerged as a promising non-invasive therapy for FOG and gait improvement. We study the neural mechanisms underlying these therapies in a novel mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, to eventually improve and inform the development of more effective interventions.
Browse the vacancies page
Radboud University
DBI2 Office
Heyendaalseweg 135
6525 AJ Nijmegen