Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

To investigate the efficacy and the safety of ropinirole PR/XR tablets to ropinirole immediate release (IR) tablets with advanced Parkinson's disease in conjunction with L-dopa in a double-blind, parallel group comparison study.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether rasagiline is effective in the treatment of apathy in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Sensory and motor cueing have been demonstrated as useful ambulation training techniques for Parkinson's disease (PD). This study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of treadmill training program with music cueing for mild to moderate PD patients.

Health care burdens from neurodegenerative diseases are expected to increase disproportionately. Increasing age also predisposes this same population to other chronic diseases including osteoporosis, a progressive systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass, which leads to an increase susceptibility to fractures. In the United States, 44 million people are estimated to be at risk for osteoporosis and low bone mass emphasizing the enormity of this public health problem. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting about 1 million people. Evidence indicates that Parkinson's disease patients are at a higher risk for low bone mineral density, which can contribute to increased fractures compared to healthy subjects. In fact, several risk factors of osteoporosis in patients with PD have been identified, including advanced stages of PD, low body mass index, inadequate sunlight exposure and decreased vitamin D levels. Some or all of these factors in conjunction with decreased immobilization that may occur with PD, put patients at increased risks for fractures. Few studies however have examined bone markers in PD patients. Even fewer studies have examined the impact of Vitamin D supplementation on bone metabolism and mineralization in PD patients. Vitamin D is an essential component in bone health, promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations, which enable normal mineralization of bone.

Therapeutic management of gait disorders in very advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients can sometimes be disappointing, since dopaminergic drug treatments and subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation are more effective for limb-related Parkinsonian signs than for gait disorders. Gait disorders could be also partly related to noradrenergic system impairment, pharmacological modulation of both dopamine and noradrenaline pathways could potentially improve the symptomatology. The investigators have demonstrated using an open label study on 17 advanced PD patients that chronic, high doses of methylphenidate (MPD) improved gait, freezing of gait, motor symptoms and attention in the absence of L-Dopa and increased the intensity of response of these symptoms to L-Dopa (Devos et al., 2007). The investigators aimed to confirm their results using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicentric trial. The investigators will assess the clinical value of chronic, high doses (1 mg/kg/day) of MPD vs placebo in 88 non demented PD patients suffering from severe gait disorders with freezing despite their use of optimal dopaminergic doses and eventually STN stimulation parameters. Efficacy will be assessed directly and on video in the absence of L-Dopa and again after acute administration of the drug, both before and after a 3-month course of MPD, using Stand Walk Sit test (primary criteria), the "Freezing Of Gait trajectory", RGSE scale, the UPDRS scores, the dyskinesia rating scale, Achiron scales and using auto-questionnaires of Giladi, ABC scale and PDQ 39. Attention will be assessed using reactions times. Drowsiness will be assessed using Epworth and Parkinson's disease Sleep Scales. Apathy and depression will be monitored with Lille Apathy Rating Scale, MADRS, BPRS, MINI and psychiatric interview. Cardiologic and general tolerance will be also monitored. This study could lead to propose methylphenidate with a good efficacy/ risk balance in advanced PD patients suffering from severe gait disorders with freezing of gait, drowsiness and attention deficit.

The aim of the study is to assess the effect of continuous levodopa infusion on autonomic nervous system in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), blood pressure regulation and sweating. The investigators' hypothesis is that levodopa infusion may alleviate hyperhidrosis and orthostatic hypotension.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of naltrexone in reducing ICD symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients taking a dopamine agonist.

Assessment of the therapeutic effect of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus compared with drug treatment alone in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

This study was designed to evaluate the symptomatic effects of Coenzyme Q10 nanodispersed solution in middle-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) patients (Hoehn&Yahr II to III). The treatment phase includes three months period of 300 mg Coenzyme Q10 per day or placebo. The primary outcome measure was the combined Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part II and III. The hypothesis of this study was that Coenzyme Q10 improves the energy status of the diseased dopaminergic neuronal cell type and thus producing more dopamine leading to an improvement of parkinsonian symptoms in PD patients.

This is a Phase I dose escalating open-label study designed to assess the safety, tolerability and biologic activity of an in vivo AAV2 mediated delivery of the gene encoding NTN (CERE-120). Twelve (up to 18) subjects will receive one of two open-label doses of CERE-120 via bilateral stereotactic injections targeting the putaminal region of the brain. Subjects will be enrolled in one of two cohorts, a low-dose cohort of six subjects followed by a high dose cohort of six subjects. The design of this study is such that the primary objective, the evaluation of safety and tolerability, will be assessed by frequent observations for adverse events, clinical laboratory test results, imaging (MRI), neuropsychometric testing, and evaluations of disease status.