Gait disturbances in neurodegenerative diseases: A window into the interaction between the motor system and cognition (C04)

• Subject Area: Molecular and Cellular Neurology and Neuropathology ; Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431549029

Project C04 focuses on gait disturbances in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using neuropsychological profiling, quantitative gait assessment, deep brain stimulation (DBS), and tau-PET-imaging, project C04 will extend its scope regarding (i) the studied motor dysfunction (adding gait disturbances), (ii) the affected anatomic level (adding subcortical structures), and (iii) the employed disease models (adding PD). Thereby, project C04 investigates the notion that dysfunction of a common subcortical-cortical gait circuitry underlies higher-order gait disturbances in AD and PD, shedding new light on the interaction between the motor and cognitive systems in gait.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1451: Key mechanisms of motor control in health and disease
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Michael Barbe; Professor Dr. Alexander Drzezga; Professor Dr. Peter Weiss-Blankenhorn