How to Annotate Freezing of Gait from Video: A Standardized Method Using Open-Source Software

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Gilat, Moran^{; *}

Affiliations: Research Group for Neurorehabilitation (eNRGy), Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest, Belgium

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Moran Gilat, PhD, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation (eNRGy), Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, Belgium. Tel.: +32 16 32 94 27; E-mail: moran.gilat@kuleuven.be.

Abstract: Visually scoring freezing of gait (FOG) from video is increasingly recognized as the gold-standard for assessing FOG severity in Parkinson’s disease. Surprisingly, no guidelines exist on how to visually score FOG. Here, I present a free template that can be implemented in open-source software to annotate FOG from video. I provide a user guide on how to implement the template and standardize the scoring of FOG and the percentage of time spent with FOG (% FOG). It is hoped that by disseminating this method investigators will be better able to employ % FOG as an outcome in their studies and therapeutic trials.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, gait, gait analysis, outcome assessment, falls, software

DOI: 10.3233/JPD-191700

Journal: Journal of Parkinson's Disease, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 821-824, 2019