Genetic Influences on Response to Gait Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease

The aging Veteran population, together with high exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service, has made diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD), currently affecting more than 80,000 Veterans, a major health issue in the Veterans' health system. Mobility and cognitive limitations are a common problem in PD and are associated with significant disability, increased fall risk, reduced quality of life, and increased caregiver burden. While less is known about its benefit on cognition, physical therapy has proven to be an effective treatment to mitigate mobility limitations, though the response to rehabilitation interventions is highly variable. The proposed research will inform the investigators' understanding of the impact of certain genetic profiles associated with learning impairments on motor and cognitive benefits in response to gait rehabilitation, and will provide an important foundation for more personalized and improved gait rehabilitation programs for different subgroups of PD patients.