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Background: Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who develop freezing of gait (FOG) have reduced mobility and independence. While some patients experience improvement in their FOG symptoms with dopaminergic therapies, a subset of patients have little to no response. To date, it is unknown what changes in brain structure underlie dopa-response and whether this can be measured using neuroimaging approaches. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that structural integrity of brain regions (subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus internus, GPi) which link basal ganglia to the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), a region involved in automatic gait, would be associated with FOG response to dopaminergic therapy. Methods: In this observational study, thirty-six participants with PD and definite FOG were recruited to undergo diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and multiple assessments of dopa responsiveness (UPDRS scores, gait times ON versus OFF medication). Results: The right GPi in participants with dopa-unresponsive FOG showed reduced fractional anisotropy, mean kurtosis (MK), and increased radial diffusivity relative to those with dopa-responsive FOG. Furthermore, using probabilistic tractography, we observed reduced MK and increased mean diffusivity along the right GPi-MLR tract in dopa-unresponsive FOG. MK in the right GPi was associated with a subjective dopa-response for FOG (r = –0.360, df = 30, p = 0.043) but not overall motor dopa-response. Conclusion: These results support structural integrity of the GPi as a correlate to dopa-response in FOG. Additionally, this study suggests DKI metrics may be a sensitive biomarker for clinical studies targeting dopaminergic circuitry and improvements in FOG behavior.

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A one-day Watson’s caring theory educational seminar was presented to 10 staff nurses from a community hospital with the intent to improve patients’ perception of care. A quasi-experimental design was employed, using descriptive statistics and t tests to compare measures of perceptions of care pre and post the educational session. A statistically significant increase in nurse’s confidence in caring attitudes and behaviors was found as measured by the caring nurse patient interaction scale nurse version (CNPI-70N). Increases in Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) scores for nurses, on treating patients with courtesy and respect and for nurses listening carefully to patients, were also realized for the majority of units involved.