Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

Parkinson's disease (PD) is known for its motor symptoms and affects more than 100,000 Canadians. However, PD patients also show cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric problems that significantly impair their quality of life. The occurrence of dementia in PD is much higher than in the general population. The proposed study will allow the principal investigator, his team and his collaborators to investigate the origins and evolution of the cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Participants with PD with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and participants with and without MCI over the age of 60 years will be assessed during eight study visits over three years. Through brain imaging, clinical testing, as well as genotyping the cognitive patterns in the four different groups will be observed and compared. The results will be used to identify biomarkers that can predict the occurrence of dementia early in the disease. Ultimately, the results of the proposed research will contribute to interventions and treatment strategies tailored to different cognitive profiles in PD before the occurrence of dementia.

This program aims to understand the role of the subthalamic nucleus in the control of the movement in healthy humans and patients with Parkinson's disease, how the STN dysfunction contributes to akinesia and how the STN stimulation improves motor signs in PD patients .

The aim of this study is to investigate the link between gut health and Parkinson's disease

Introduction Bradykinesia (i.e., slow movements) is one of the most prominent symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and has a negative impact on quality of life. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS), a widely used and promising treatment technique, has been shown to effectively improve gait speed in PD patients. However, only few studies have explored effects and neural mechanisms of RAS on upper-limb movements. We will conduct two studies to investigate effects and mechanisms of RAS on upper-limb movements in PD patients. The purpose of this study is to examine effects and neural mechanisms of upper-limb movement training involving RAS in PD patients. Methods This study will recruit patients with PD and healthy controls. This study will randomly assign PD patients into two groups: the PD-RAS group and the PD-noRAS group, and healthy controls into the HC-RAS group and the HC-noRAS group. A 7-day upper-limb training involving RAS (for the PD-RAS group and the HC-RAS group) or without RAS (for the PD-noRAS group and the HC-noRAS group) will be provided. EEG and behavioral assessments will be conducted before and after the first day of training, and after the seven-day training program. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance will be performed to investigate the group and time effects on upper-limb function and neural activity. Study significance The training program will serve as a reference for clinical practitioners who are interested in using RAS in clinical training for PD patients.

Hereditary Parkinson and dystonia syndromes are rare, as are people who carry the predisposition for Parkinson or dystonia but do not have symptoms. It is particularly important to study these people because they are a good model for understanding the development of common non-hereditary Parkinson's and dystonia. To do this, the investigators want to look at how the brain works and how different areas of the brain communicate with each other. The investigators want to identify differences in brain regions connecting perception and action between mutation carriers that develop clinical symptoms and those who stay healthy in different subgroups of inherited Parkinson-dystonia syndromes. Mutation carriers with and without symptoms of three different inherited Parkinson-dystonia syndromes will be investigated at their homes with the help of a mobile examination unit. To detect even subtle signs, which the mutation carriers might not even be aware of, the investigators will use a detailed video-based and -documented movement examination and a non-invasive magnetic stimulation technique that investigates how a sensory, i.e., electrical stimulus can influence the motor response in a hand muscle. Our study will allow the investigators, on the one hand, to define specific markers that protect some mutation carriers from having clinical symptoms and, on the other hand, to identify neurophysiological characteristics that all mutation carriers share whether or not they have clinical symptoms. These are important information for a better understanding of the basis of these disorders and for the development of new treatment strategies, which can also be transferred to genetically-undefined Parkinson's and dystonia syndromes. Through this study, large groups of mutation carriers that have received an in-depth clinical and neurophysiological examination and can be investigated longitudinally in future studies will be build up.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) affects people universally, including all ethnic and socioeconomic groups, as a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. However, there are several additional challenges for people living with PD in developing countries, especially those with low socioeconomic status. There is limited access to neurological care in Brazil due to an uneven distribution of neurologists and neurological facilities, which is more critical in the poorest regions. In addition, people in these vulnerable communities are more exposed to environmental pollution, including pesticides and metals used in agriculture and mining, respectively. Therefore, reliable data on the prevalence and incidence of PD in Brazil are essential to understand the proportion of this limited access to care for patients with PD, its burden in the region, and the potential role of environmental and lifestyle risk factors in PD. Unfortunately, the literature describes few epidemiological data on PD in Latin America, including Brazil, with an evident need for more information in their regions remarkably different. The investigators will carry out a population-based study in four municipalities in Brazil (Veranópolis-RS, Belém-PA, Jacobina-BA and Candangolândia-DF), comprising distinct communities in terms of ethnic groups, education levels, and environmental and lifestyle exposures, to portray the differences in Brazilian society. The present study will screen all people living in these regions aged 60 and over for parkinsonian symptoms and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). At least one neurologist will examine those selected to determine the diagnosis of PD or related disorders. The study also will evaluate a random sample of those individuals with a negative screen. Each participant selected after the screening will undergo clinical assessments and interview with the addition of a comprehensive questionnaire on clinical and sociodemographic data, prodromal symptoms, as well as lifestyle and environmental exposures, including occupational use and non-occupational use of pesticides and metals. An equal sample of blood and hair will be collected from individuals with PD and controls. The study will determine the prevalence of PD and related disorders in these distinct communities. An exploratory analysis also will be performed to determine the association between PD and each variable investigated.

The objective of this study is to describe disease progression in study participants diagnosed with early Parkinson's Disease or Multiple System Atrophy - Parkinsonian Type up to 18 months as delineated by clinical and biochemical parameters.

Parkinson's disease is degenerative, progressive, and chronic. It is considered potentially disabling, in view of the motor alterations, such as bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor in the upper limbs, and non-motor alterations, such as cognitive ones involving attention, concentration and memory difficulties. Thus, neurorehabilitation modalities, such as motor imagery and action observation, have been used. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of motor imagery and action observation on upper limb motor and cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease. This is a randomized controlled trial type study. The population of the study involves people with Parkinson's disease in stages 1-3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale, aged 20 to 59 years, who must be on stable medication, have no cognitive impairment with risk of dementia, be able to imagine motor activities and have upper limb motor impairment. The study groups will be: a) motor imagery, observation of action and motor execution; b) motor imagery and motor execution; c) observation of action and motor execution; d) motor imagery and motor execution and exoskeleton; e) observation of action and motor execution and exoskeleton. The interventions of all groups will be an intensive approach of 10 continuous sessions, with a two-day break in the middle of the intervention, totaling two weeks, with each session lasting 40 minutes a day. The data collection steps for the study will involve the pre-test, the interventions, the immediate post-test, and the test after a four-week period without intervention. The instruments that will be used for the evaluations will be: a) part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III); b) Test D'évaluation Des Membres Supérieurs Des Personnes Âgées (TEMPA); c) 9-Hole Peg Test to assess upper extremity function; d) Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Assessment Scale; e) Canadian Occupational Performance Measure to identify performance and satisfaction in performing activities in the areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure.

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the impact of the different types of pain and of the domains involved in the autonomic disorders of inpatients and outpatients diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) admitted to Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri Centers. The main aims are: Evaluate the prevalence of pain and characterize it in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonisms (MSA) Evaluate the effect of rehabilitation on pain and autonomic symptoms Evaluate the prevalence of autonomic symptoms in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonisms (MSA) Assess the impact of pain and autonomic symptoms on quality of life. Participants will perform neurological examination, rehabilitation program and clinical scales. Researchers will compare the two groups of patients (PD and MSA) and the effect of the rehabilitation on pain, autonomic symptoms and quality of life.

This study will be underpinned by the new MRC guidelines for developing a complex intervention with a participatory design methodology that uses evidence-based research and behaviour change models alongside COSMIN methodology for validating a measure. Research question: To what extent does gaitQ's smart cueing system improve people with long-term conditions including people with Parkinson's (PwP's) gait? Is it effective in the everyday environment? What factors are associated with good mobility? What is the impact of cueing on healthy people? Aims and objectives: To finalise the product development and evaluation comprising (1) algorithm refinement and (2) monitoring system development. To evaluate the reliability, concurrent validity, and potential for efficacy, as determined by responsiveness in response to the gaitQ product using gait data collected in laboratory environments. To prepare for market entry and NHS adoption: early economic modelling, pricing, marketing strategies, and early adopter partnerships. Design: Participatory design with testing for validity, reliability and responsiveness Participants: This will involve healthy people and people with long-term conditions affecting their movement, including people with Parkinson's [PwP]. Additional patient groups will be investigated, including stroke, and people with hip/knee injuries. Methods The Researchers will collect movement data using the gaitQ system, which monitors and cues, to both collect data and cue in the lab environment and investigate the reliability of the measure, concurrent validity of the metric to gold standard gait capture, the responsiveness of measures to the cueing system and usability for participants and clinical teams. To determine reliability, 60 participants will be invited to repeat testing on a second visit. Researchers will describe participants' conditions using standard questionnaires and their mobility and functioning. This study will be underpinned by the new MRC guidelines for developing a complex intervention with a participatory design methodology that uses evidence-based research and behaviour change models to identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to a given outcome in a specific population.