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Verbal fluency task affects gait in Parkinson's disease with motor freezing. We examined the effects of a simultaneous verbal fluency task on walking in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with freezing of gait (PD-F) compared to nonfreezing patients (PD-NF) or control subjects (C). Effects of antiparkinsonian medications on gait in PD-F were examined. PD-F patients exhibited a greater increase in the number of steps to complete the walk with verbal fluency, even when the effect of medication was taken into account (mean increase +/- SD): PD-F = 4.2 +/- 4.6, n = 10; PD-NF = 0.1 +/- 1.6, n = 9; C = 1.5 +/- 1.5, n = 19; P = .007. Medications improved walking in PD-F patients by decreasing the number of steps, the time to walk, and freezing. PD-F patients may be more dependent on attention for walking. PMID: 10230996, UI: 99246027 J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1998 Winter;11(4):181-5 Camicioli R, Oken BS, Sexton G, Kaye JA, Nutt JG Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland VA Medical Center, Oregon, 97201, USA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10230996&form=6&db=m &Dopt=b ------------------------------------------------------------ janet paterson 52 now 41 dx 37 onset [log in to unmask] 613-256-8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada a new voice <http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/> ------------------------------------------------------------