{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T05:13:15Z","timestamp":1778649195460,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778630400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD) patients is a critical determinant of motor impairment and fall risk. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has been shown to ameliorate FOG symptoms, although the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are not fully understood.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This research employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to analyze three RAS\u2014two external auditory cueing strategies (beat perception and music therapy) and one internal cueing method (mental beat imagery)\u2014to examine gait parameters and cortical activation patterns in Parkinson\u2019s disease patients with freezing of gait (PD\u202f+\u202fFOG) compared to healthy controls (HC). The study also sought to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of these rhythm-based interventions in alleviating FOG episodes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Twenty-eight patients with PD\u202f+\u202fFOG and twenty-eight age-matched HC were enrolled in the study. Gait analysis was performed during narrow corridor ambulation, designed to induce freezing episodes, and during straight-line walking in an open environment. fNIRS was employed to measure fluctuations in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      ) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) concentrations, serving as indicators of cortical activation. Regions of interest (ROIs) included the prefrontal cortex (PFC), premotor cortex (PMC), and temporal cortex (TLC). Intracortical functional connectivity during each locomotor task was evaluated through correlation analyses of HbO\n                      <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                      signals between the ROIs.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PD\u202f+\u202fFOG patients exhibited gait disturbances characterized by reduced gait velocity and stride length, along with increased mediolateral postural sway during freezing episodes. Neuroimaging indicated significantly decreased activation in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), PMC, and PFC compared to healthy controls, despite elevated intracortical connectivity involving indirect corticospinal pathways. Differential responses to RAS interventions were noted: rhythmic auditory cues enhanced connectivity between TLC and PMC; music therapy significantly improved PFC intrinsic connectivity; whereas imagined auditory cues potentially impaired sensorimotor integration due to excessive reliance on internal cognitive mechanisms.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Various RAS pathways can ameliorate freezing of gait symptoms by selectively modulating functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and sensorimotor circuits. The underlying neural mechanisms may largely involve neural entrainment and reorganization of brain networks. These results offer vital empirical insights into the pathophysiology of gait freezing and provide a preliminary theoretical basis for designing precision neuromodulation interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2026.1802799","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T04:40:07Z","timestamp":1778647207000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Study on the effects and mechanisms of rhythmic auditory stimulation on freezing of gait in Parkinson\u2019s disease: investigation based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Lingyu","family":"Sheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medical Technology, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ziyao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medical Technology, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guiyun","family":"Cui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medical Technology, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]},{"name":"The Second Clinical Medical College, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jie","family":"Xiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medical Technology, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]},{"name":"The Second Clinical Medical College, Xuzhou Medical University","place":["Xuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"802","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amjmed.2019.03.001","article-title":"Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism","volume":"132","author":"Hayes","year":"2019","journal-title":"Am J Med"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"VII27","DOI":"10.1007\/s00415-006-7007-2","article-title":"Freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease","author":"Okuma","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Neurol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"697","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(19)30044-4","article-title":"Gait impairments in Parkinson's disease","volume":"18","author":"Mirelman","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"937","DOI":"10.1177\/0269215521990526","article-title":"Effects of music-based movement therapy on motor function, 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