What is new in Freezing of Gait?
Freezing of Gait (FOG) research is entering a rapidly evolving phase. Published in early 2026, the International Consortium for FOG (ICFOG) released updated clinical and technical definitions of FOG and introduced a consensus-based standardized testing protocol, the Giladi protocol (GP-FOG), which is currently still under evaluation in an ongoing study. Complementing these advances, two new outcome measures, the clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) and the patient-reported outcome (PRO), are highlighted in this review. Recent technological developments in both detection and potential prevention of FOG are moving the field toward individualized, biomarker-based, on-demand treatment strategies. In addition, emerging insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of FOG, particularly nondopaminergic contributions, are discussed. Together, these developments provide a contemporary framework for improving the assessment, understanding, and personalized management of FOG in Parkinson's disease.
Authors
- Eileen Gülke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1654-4443)
- Simon J. G. Lewis
Institutions
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE)
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE)
- Macquarie University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Neurology
- Published
- 2026-03-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-13765-6
- Primary Topic
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00