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Parkinson Disease (PD)StepuPNCT07057219

Steps Against the Burden of Parkinson's Disease

A study testing Exercise in people with Parkinson Disease (PD), run by The University of New South Wales at 1 site in Australia.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Parkinson's Disease Treadmill Training RCT Summary Parkinson's disease (PD) affects over 10 million people globally. Despite optimal pharmacological treatment, approximately 70% of individuals experience unstable gait and falls, leading to loss of confidence, social isolation, fractures, and frequent hospitalisations. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Parkinson Disease (PD)
What is being tested?
Exercise
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
42 participants
Where
1 siteAustralia
Study dates
9 Jul 2025to 30 Nov 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosis of PD according to the MDS Criteria
  • Hoehn and Yahr stages I to III;
  • Movement Disorder Society-sponsored version of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) gait sub-score of 1 or more
  • Signed informed consent to participation

Who cannot join

  • Any known general health condition likely to interfere with or to pose a contraindication to non-medically supervised physical exercise.
  • Moderate or severe depression (BDI-II ≥18)
  • Cognitive impairment which may preclude the possibility to provide a fully informed consent to enrolment.
  • Linguistic comprehension capacity less than 75% in ordinary conversation
  • Severe psychiatric comorbidity which may interfere with compliance to the study protocol
  • History of or current status of substance dependency
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Unable to walk less than 1 floor
  • Thoracic pain in the last 4 weeks
  • Currently enrolled in other interventional studies
  • Implanted Deep Brain Stimulation device

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Matthew A Brodie, PhD contact

+614 4988 6272

a.m.brodie@unsw.edu.au

Yoshiro Okubo, PhD contact

+61 293991065

y.okubo@neura.edu.au

Australia1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Neuroscience Research Australia

    Randwick, New South Wales, 2031

    Matthew A Brodie, PhD, +61 449 886 272, a.m.brodie@unsw.edu.au

    Yoshiro Okubo, PhD, +61 293991065 ext. 1065, y.okubo@neura.edu.au

    Recruiting

Other trials in Australia

About this study

Official title: StepuP: Steps Against the Burden of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease Treadmill Training RCT Summary

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects over 10 million people globally. Despite optimal pharmacological treatment, approximately 70% of individuals experience unstable gait and falls, leading to loss of confidence, social isolation, fractures, and frequent hospitalisations. Treadmill training-especially when augmented by mechanical or virtual-reality perturbations-has shown promise in improving gait and reducing fall risk. However, the mechanisms underlying these benefits remain poorly understood, limiting the ability to personalise interventions effectively.

Read more

This randomised controlled trial (RCT) forms part of the broader Steps Against the Burden of Parkinson's Disease project (CT-IDs: 6ef2e427b002, 6ef2e427b003, 6ef2e427b004), comprising three harmonised but independently conducted RCTs. All sites follow a shared core protocol, allowing for pooled data analysis while preserving site-specific perturbation adaptations. Findings from this trial will be reported both independently and as part of the combined dataset.

In this trial, participants with PD will undergo 12 sessions of treadmill training, with or without virtual reality and perturbation-based adaptations. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-training, and follow-up. The intervention aims to enhance gait through improved sensorimotor integration and balance control. During the follow-up period, a smartphoneapp "Walking Tall" will be used to encourage continued exercises and long-term retention of training effects.

Biomechanical analyses will focus on changes in foot placement control. Neurophysiological outcomes will be examined using EEG and EMG, targeting reductions in beta-band EEG power and enhanced EEG-EMG coherence as markers of improved gait stability.

Recognising that laboratory-based improvements may not always translate to daily life, this study will also investigate gait self-efficacy as a potential moderator of transfer. Remote monitoring tools will capture real-world mobility outcomes over a week. Machine learning techniques will be employed to identify factors differentiating those who improve in both settings from those who do not. These insights will inform the development of personalised interventions capable of translating training effects into meaningful real-life outcomes.

Read the detailed description
  1. Rationale The rationale of this trial is that speed-dependent treadmill training (SDTT) improves gait in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) through enhanced sensorimotor integration, with cortical activity changes as underlying neural correlates. Additional benefits may be gained when treadmill training includes perturbations, which help train reactive balance responses. Furthermore, it is hypothesised that improvements in gait quality through SDTT can enhance gait self-efficacy, which may mediate or moderate the transfer of training effects to everyday mobility. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for personalising interventions and maximising real-world outcomes. ii. Objectives

The objectives of the StepuP project are to:

  1. Understand the kinematic and neural mechanisms that underlie improvements in gait due to treadmill training with and without mechanically and VR-triggered gait adaptations in people with PD.
  2. Assess the extent to which gait improvements measured in the laboratory transfer to improvements in daily-life mobility.
  3. Identify the mechanisms that support or limit the transfer of training effects from lab-based gait improvements to real-world mobility.
  4. Determine for whom treadmill training improves gait characteristics in the lab and for whom it does not, and similarly, who benefits in terms of daily-life mobility.

Achieving these objectives will advance understanding of the variability in individual response to treadmill training, allowing more targeted and ultimately personalised interventions to improve outcomes in PD.

iii. Endpoints This trial will evaluate the effects of treadmill training with and without perturbations on gait performance and neural correlates in people with PD.

Primary endpoint:

> Change in gait speed under controlled treadmill conditions.

Secondary endpoints:

  • Clinical outcomes: Changes in motor symptoms and function measured through clinical assessments.
  • Kinematic outcomes: Changes in gait parameters such as step length and variability from baseline to follow-up.
  • Neurophysiological outcomes: EEG and EMG markers, including changes in EEG beta power and EEG-EMG coherence.

Exploratory endpoints:

  • Real-world gait metrics assessed via wearable sensors.
  • Gait self-efficacy assessed with validated questionnaires to examine psychological influences on transfer.

These outcomes will help identify how and for whom treadmill training leads to meaningful, lasting improvements in mobility.

Being tested
Exercise
Keywords
EEG, EMG, perturbation, VR, real-world gait, wearable device, gait, balance, falls
Medical subject headings
Parkinson Disease

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • ExerciseOther

    Also called SDTT, Treadmill training, Gait training

    SDTT adjusts the treadmill's speed in real time to match an individual's walking pace, creating a dynamic and adaptive training environment. This approach simulates real-world walking conditions, promoting neuromuscular coordination, balance, and functional mobility. By tailoring speed to the user's natural gait, SDTT supports the development of efficient and more natural walking patterns. It has shown promise across clinical populations, including those with neurological disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, or recovering from injury. Its flexibility allows for progressive challenge as walking ability improves, making SDTT a valuable tool for optimising gait and mobility outcomes.

  • ExerciseOther

    Also called SDTT+, VR, perturbation training, Treadmill training

    The SDTT+ program combines speed-dependent treadmill training with perturbations and VR-triggered adaptations. Reactive gait responses are elicited through controlled accelerations and decelerations of treadmill belts, simulating real-life balance challenges.

Study groups in NCT07057219
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Speed-dependent treadmill training (SDTT)Active comparatorSDTT adjusts the treadmill's speed in real time to match an individual's walking pace, creating a dynamic and adaptive training environment. This approach simulates real-world walking conditions, promoting neuromuscular coordination, balance, and functional mobility. By tailoring speed to the user's natural gait, SDTT supports the development of efficient and more natural walking patterns. It has shown promise across clinical populations, including those with neurological disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, or recovering from injury. Its flexibility allows for progressive challenge as walking ability improves, making SDTT a valuable tool for optimising gait and mobility outcomes.
Receives: Other: Exercise
SDTT+ perturbations + VR triggered adaptationsExperimentalThe SDTT+ program combines speed-dependent treadmill training with perturbations and VR-triggered adaptations. Reactive gait responses are elicited through controlled accelerations and decelerations of treadmill belts, simulating real-life balance challenges.
Receives: Other: Exercise

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Gait speed

    Comfortable walking speed overground

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26)

Secondary outcomes (25)
  1. Fall Events

    The number of falls experienced and whether they resulted in injury will be recorded. This includes a 12-month retrospective report at baseline and ongoing reporting throughout the study.

    Measured: Retrospective report at Baseline (week 1); ongoing reporting through Follow-up (week 26).

  2. EuroQol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) Questionnaire

    This quality-of-life instrument includes a descriptive profile and a visual analogue scale (VAS) to rate current health. The VAS ranges from 0 (the worst health imaginable) to 100 (the best health imaginable). Higher scores on the VAS indicate better health status.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  3. Frailty Index (FI)

    The Frailty Index assesses physical frailty based on five criteria: shrinking (unintentional weight loss), low physical endurance or energy (self-reported exhaustion), low physical activity, weakness (grip strength), and slow walking speed. Based on the number of criteria met (0 to 5), participants are classified into the following categories:

    Non-frail (0 criteria met) Pre-frail (1-2 criteria met) Frail (3 or more criteria met)

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  4. FACIT Fatigue Scale (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue)

    The FACIT Fatigue Scale measures self-reported fatigue and its impact on daily activities and functioning over the past week. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("Not at all") to 4 ("Very much"). Total Score Range: 0 to 52. Higher scores indicate less fatigue and better functioning.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  5. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

    The VAS is used to assess subjective pain intensity or other symptom severity.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  6. Foot placement kinematics

    Three-dimensional motion capture will be used to evaluate gait and movement patterns, specicially the foot placement in relation to the centre of mass.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  7. Timed Up and Go (TUG)

    The TUG test assesses mobility, balance, and walking ability.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  8. Two-Minute Walk Test (2MWT)

    This test measures functional exercise capacity by recording the distance walked in two minutes.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  9. Mini-BESTest

    The Mini-BESTest evaluates dynamic balance across multiple domains of postural control.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  10. Modified Gait Efficacy Scale (mGES)

    The mGES measures confidence in walking under challenging everyday conditions.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  11. Short Falls Efficacy Scale International (Short FES-I)

    The Short Falls Efficacy Scale International is a 7-item questionnaire assessing concern about falling during a range of physical and social activities. Each item is scored from 1 (not at all concerned) to 4 (very concerned), resulting in a total score ranging from 7 to 28. Higher scores indicate greater concern about falling, which reflects a worse outcome.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  12. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

    The MoCA evaluates cognitive function, including memory, attention, language, and executive functions. The MoCA consists of 30 points, with scores ranging from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function, reflecting a better outcome.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Follow-up (week 26).

  13. Color Trail Test (CTT)

    The CTT assesses cognitive flexibility, visual attention, and processing speed. The CTT consists of two parts (CTT-1 and CTT-2), where participants are required to connect numbered circles in sequence, alternating between colours in the second part. Performance is measured by the time (in seconds) taken to complete each part. shorter completion times indicate better cognitive function, reflecting a better outcome.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Follow-up (week 26).

  14. Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS Part III)

    The MDS-UPDRS Part III is the motor examination component of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale developed by the Movement Disorder Society. It assesses motor signs of Parkinson's disease across 18 items (e.g., tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, posture, gait), each rated on a 5-point scale from 0 (normal) to 4 (severe impairment).

    The total score ranges from 0 to 132. Higher scores indicate greater motor impairment, reflecting a worse outcome.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  15. New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOGQ)

    The NFOGQ is a 9-item patient-reported instrument designed to assess the presence, severity, and impact of freezing of gait (FOG) in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (absence or no impact) to 4 (severe or frequent impact).

    The total score ranges from 0 to 28, with higher scores reflecting more severe and frequent freezing episodes.

    Higher scores indicate worse freezing of gait symptoms, representing a worse outcome.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  16. Daily Step Count

    The average number of steps taken per day will be recorded via wearable sensors.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  17. Uninterrupted Walking Duration

    Duration of uninterrupted walking bouts will be measured using wearable sensors.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  18. Stride Time Variability

    Stride-to-stride variability in walking rhythm will be derived from sensor data.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  19. Gait Symmetry

    The symmetry of gait parameters between left and right limbs will be calculated.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  20. System Usability Scale (SUS)

    Participants' acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed via the SUS. The SUS is a 10-item questionnaire that assesses user satisfaction and perceived usability of a system or intervention. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

    Raw item scores are converted to a composite score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better perceived usability and greater user satisfaction, reflecting a better outcome.

    Measured: Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  21. Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES)

    Participants' acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed via the PACES. The PACES is an 18-item questionnaire designed to assess enjoyment of physical activity. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale (e.g., from "I enjoy it" to "I hate it"), with some items reverse-scored.

    The total score ranges from 18 to 126, with higher scores indicating greater enjoyment of physical activity, reflecting a better outcome.

    Measured: Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  22. Attitudes Towards Physical Activity

    The Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) will assess changes in attitudes toward physical activity. The ESES is a 10-item questionnaire that assesses confidence in engaging in physical activity despite common barriers. Each item is rated from 1 (not at all confident) to 4 (always confident).

    Total scores range from 10 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater confidence in the ability to exercise, reflecting a better outcome.

    Measured: Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  23. Participant experience

    Semi-structured qualitative interviews will explore participant experiences, perceived barriers, enablers, and reasons for withdrawal. As this is a qualitative assessment, no numerical scale applies, and responses will be analysed using thematic analysis methods.

    Measured: Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  24. Beta band activity

    EEG (electroencephalogram) will be used to measure brain activity by recording electrical signals from the scalp. It will assess beta band activity during walking to examine changes in cortical involvement associated with gait and training.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

  25. EEG-EMG coherency in the beta band

    Coherency between EEG and EMG signals in the beta frequency band will be assessed during walking to evaluate changes in corticomuscular connectivity associated with gait and training.

    Measured: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26).

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted9 Jul 2025
  2. Study start9 Jul 2025
  3. Primary completion30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
A randomised controlled trial
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
42 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07057219
Sponsor's protocol ID
iRECS5114
Other IDs
2022885
Acronym
StepuP
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
19 May 2025
Last updated
17 Jul 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The pseudonymized personal dataset corresponding to study participants who have opted in at the time of consent

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Exercise in people with Parkinson Disease (PD), run by The University of New South Wales at 1 site in Australia.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Australia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Matthew A Brodie, PhD (+614 4988 6272, a.m.brodie@unsw.edu.au), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Gait speed (time frame: Baseline (week 1), Post-Training (week 14), Follow-up (week 26)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jul 2025.

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