Finding Parameters around the Abdomen for a Vibrotactile System: Healthy and Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Freezing of Gait (FOG) is one of the most disabling gait disorders in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), for which the efficacy of the medication is reduced, highlighting the use of non-pharmacological solutions. In particular, patients present less difficulties in overcoming FOG when using feedback and especially with Biofeedback Systems. In this study it is intended to detect the frequency threshold and the minimum interval of perception of the vibrotactile feedback, through a proposed wearable system, a waistband. Experimental tests were carried out that considered a temporal, spatial and spatiotemporal context, for which 15 healthy and 15 PD patients participated. It was detected as threshold frequency 180 Hz and for minimum interval of vibration perception 250 ms. The identification of this threshold frequency and this interval will allow us to select the frequency and the minimum interval of vibration to be used in a Vibrotactile Biofeedback Device for patients with PD, in order to help them to overcome FOG.