Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

The aim of this open-label, self-control study is to evaluate the efficacy of sertraline in treating depression in Patients with Parkinson's disease. In addition, the investigators also want to find out whether patient gets better quality of life when depression is improved.

This study is a double blind comparative study examining the effectiveness of the rTMS treatment on Freezing of Gait (FOG) phenomenon in patients with Parkinson's disease. We hypothesize that treatment using rTMS stimulation on frontal lobe areas will improve gait quality and decrease the frequency of FOG in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's Disease is an incurable and progressive disease. Treatment includes medication and non-pharmacological intervention such as physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is a main component of non-pharmacological interventions. It includes exercise to strengthen the muscles; improves balance and walking, and adopts the use of visual cue training. Treatment has been found to be effective in patients with mild impairment up to 6 months post-treatment. The present study will investigate the effectiveness of treatment for patients with mild to moderate impairment for short term (3-month) and long term (1 year). The hypothesis is that compared to patient education alone, physiotherapy intervention for patients with Parkinson's disease leads to improve function and quality of life.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Fipamezole is effective in the treatment of orthostatic hypotension and related symptoms in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease.

Chocolate consumption has long been associated with enjoyment and pleasure. Popular claims confer on chocolate the properties of being a stimulant, relaxant, euphoriant and antidepressant. These possible pharmacological actions might be related to various biogenic amines, such as serotonin, dopamine, tyramine, histamine, phenylethylamine and cannabinoid-like substances. Most amines are metabolized by monoamineoxidase-A (MAO-A) and are therefore unable to pass the blood-brain-barrier. In contrast, phenylethylamine is a direct dopamine releasing ingredient and as a substrate of MAO-B and due to its lipophilic structure even capable to pass the blood-brain-barrier. Within this line, own clinical observations suggested an increased chocolate consumption in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to healthy subjects and to their pre-disease state. In a previous study, we assessed the consumption of chocolate and non-chocolate sweets in PD patients and their partners (as household controls) using a self-questionnaire. Consumption of chocolate was significantly higher in PD patients compared to controls, while consumption of non-chocolate sweets was similar in both groups. Our study suggests that chocolate consumption is increased in PD independent of concomitant depressive symptoms measured by BDI-1. Although reasons for increased chocolate consumption in PD remain elusive, it may hypothetically be a consequence of the high content of various biogenic amines as a content of cocoa influencing dopamine metabolism. Therefore, in the present study we aim to study the effects of dark chocolate with high cocoa content (85%) compared to chocolate without any cocoa (white chocolate) on motor symptoms in PD patients as measured with UPDRS part III (motor score). The principle design of the intervention is similar to the standard pharmacological challenge test for studying effects on motor symptoms in PD (e.g. levodopa challenge test).

Foot dystonia is frequently observed in patients suffering from Parkinson'disease. It is characterized by an abnormal involuntary movement which is very uncomfortable (difficult to walk) and painful for the patient. Botulinum toxin injections seem to be efficient to treat this dystonia. However studies on this topic are few and very imprecise (many muscle injected, especially the Flexor digitorum longus, different doses used, heterogeneous population with many types of dystonia included, open studies).

Earlystim Study: Patients are randomized either to medical treatment or subthalamic stimulation. The observation period was 2 years. The primary outcome criterium: PDQ-39. Post study Follow up studies: After the 24 months observation period also BMT patients could be operated and all patients will be observed for 10 years or longer to elucidate whether earlier stimulation has advantages (or drawbacks) compared to later stimulation.

Parkinson's disease is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative diseases, and for which the mechanisms remains unknown. Since the implication of susceptibility factors is highly suspect, we have recently shown that one monogenic form due to alterations in the Parkin gene was responsible for an important proportion of early onset familial and isolated cases. Nevertheless, it not has been determined yet the relationship between idiopathic Parkinson's disease and secondary Parkinson's disease with a Parkin gene mutation at the clinical, neuropsychological, metabolic and physiopathological levels. For establishing phenotype-genotype correlations, we propose to compare the phenotype of patients carrying a Parkin mutation (parkin " + ", n=25) to those of early onset parkinsonians without a Parkin mutation (Parkin " - ", n = 25), and for some aspects (neuropsychological, behavioural and psychiatric evaluations) to the healthy brothers and sisters of Parkin cases "+"(n = 25). The evaluation will carry on the clinical aspects (quantification of the parkinsonian syndrome and reactivity to levodopa, neuropsychological, behavioural and psychiatric evaluations), molecular (types of abnormalities in the Parkin gene) and metabolic (PET - tomography by positron emission) of the disease. Parkinson's disease caused by Parkin gene mutations is associated with an important and homogeneous loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta, which is different from those observed during the idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The corresponding dopaminergic deficit should be associated with an excellent reactivity to levodopa, to a cognitive deficit and to behavioural and/or psychiatric attitudes, in relation with the massive alteration of dopaminergic efferences. This multidisciplinary approach on Parkin cases will be performed in the centers for of clinical investigations of Grenoble and Paris, with the help of the French Parkinson's Disease Study Group, and two centers for TEP (Lyon and Orsay). This project will allow to a better definition of diagnostic criteria of Parkin " + " cases, which will help for the molecular diagnosis in early onset cases, and will study precisely the clinical, psychiatric and metabolic consequences of a massive and homogeneous dopaminergic denervation, which seems to be different of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Among the impairments associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), gait disturbance is one of the most injurious to the independence in daily living activities and the quality of life of people living with Parkinson's disease (PPD). Despite a considerable amount of research, there is no consensus about the most efficient physiotherapeutic approach to improve gait disturbance. Mental practice (MP) is considered an efficient strategy to improve the motor performance of healthy individuals and people with stroke. However, there is little evidence about its therapeutic results as a tool to improve gait performance in PPD. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of mental gait practice associated with physical practice (PP) to improve the gait performance of PPD.

The aim of this study is to observe the efficacy of Deep Brain Stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease,Essential Tremors and Dystonia in our locality.