Barbe MT, Tonder L, Krack P, et al. - Researchers conducted a secondary analysis examining the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on freezing of gait and other axial signs in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) within a large randomized, controlled trial comparing DBS of the STN combined with best medical treatment and best medical treatment alone in patients with early motor complications (EARLYSTIM-trial). The stimulation group comprised 124 patients and the best medical treatment group included 127 patients. Based on UPDRS-II, they identified the freezing of gait in 52% in both groups at baseline. Within the first 2 years of DBS, they observed improvement in the freezing of gait and other axial signs in the medication-off condition compared with the best medical treatment in these patients.