Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

This study is investigating the usefulness of using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activation during deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's Disease, Essential tremor, dystonia, OCD, depression, pain, Tourette's syndrome, and epilepsy. The study may determine the relationship between patterns of brain activation and therapeutic outcome and/or side effects.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the autonomic failure in Parkinson's disease by clinical, electrophysiological and neuropathological examination.

After few years of evolution, patients with Parkinson's disease may develop apathy, with different degrees of severity. Apathy is characterized by a loss of interest for the others and for activities. The lack of social interactions in these patients may be due to an impairment in decoding emotional facial expression. Indeed, facial expression recognition, which is necessary to understand other's emotional state, requires a subclinical facial mimicking of the expression observed. Yet, one of the clinical signs of PD is amimia. This study aims to determinate if there is a facial mimicry disorder in PD ( Parkinson's disease )patients with emotional facial expression (EFE) recognition impairment, compared to healthy control subjects. We also want to know if this facial mimicry disorder is primary (subtended by facial mobility impairment, that is to say amimia) or secondary (related to the mirror neuron systems that allows us to activate similar neural networks when observing and feeling a specific emotion)

Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive neurological disorder. Symptoms are tremor, slowness in movement, rigidity and postural instability. As the disease progresses and treatment with L-dopa is no longer sufficient, some patients may be treated with deep brain stimulation. When treated with deep brain stimulation, electrodes are inserted in the affected area of the brain and through stimulation, motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are significantly reduced. During the first year of DBS treatment patients and spouses may experience changes in everyday life and illness trajectory posing new opportunities as well as new challenges. The purpose of the study is to develop an individualised and targeted nursing program to support patients and relatives manage changes and challenges in life the first three months after Deep Brain Stimulation. The intervention is expected to generate important knowledge that will serve as a foundation for the further development of a future nursing program.

This is an open-label, prospective post marketing surveillance study to be performed in Sweden. Only data of patients idiopathic PD should be documented, in whom the treating physician plans to initiate a pharmacotherapy with PPX ER independent of this observational study. The questionnaires (Morisky Medication Adherence Measure, patient preference scale, CGI-I, PGI-I) will be used to document routine care in a standardized way and thus ensure high validity of the observational data. As the degree medication adherence of patients is routinely evaluated by their physicians, as is patient preference and possible symptom improvement after initiation of a new therapy, the patient questionnaires will be used to standardise medical routine care and to ensure validity of observational data.

The purpose of this prospective, participant-blinded trial is to determine the changes in sleep architecture in a cohort of subjects who have undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for treatment of movement disorders such as moderate to advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), tremor, or dystonia. Our preliminary observational data suggest that unilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS improves subjective sleep quality in PD patients 6 months after the procedure. The cause of this improvement in sleep quality is unknown, and this study proposes the use of polysomnography (PSG) to test whether the improvement in sleep is independent of improvement in night-time mobility associated with DBS treatment of the motor symptoms of PD, tremor, or dystonia.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether repetitive sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the prefrontal cortex can enhance the cognitive, affective and motor functioning of those with Parkinson's Disease. In this study we will compare active tDCS with sham tDCS. Each subject will receive two consecutive weeks of stimulation (Monday through Friday). A battery of neuropsychological and affective tests will be administered throughout the duration of the study.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of Fipamezole in adult patients with Parkinson's disease who are receiving levodopa.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is among the most disabling motor features of Parkinson disease (PD) and is present in other forms of parkinsonism as well. FOG is a brief (usually lasting <30 seconds) episode of absence or a greatly reduced forward movement of the feet despite intention to walk. It typically occurs when patients initiate gait (so-called "start hesitation") and when attempting to turn. It is a leading cause of falls and often results in a wheelchair-dependent state. FOG greatly interferes with activities of daily living, causes social isolation and poor quality of life. FOG is one of the least understood features of PD. It possibly may develop independent of the other motor features of the disease, and be caused by specific pathological changes in the brain. Previous studies on FOG have shown conflicting information and have not lead to clear understanding of the pathophysiology. One key reason for this is that there appears to be multiple subtypes which have rarely been taken into account. The purpose of this study is to show that different types of FOG exist and to see if there is a connection to cognitive differences or gait patterns.

The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate that transdermal nicotine treatment retards disease progression as measured by change in total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)(part I, II, III)score between baseline and after 52 weeks of study treatment plus two more months wash out (60 weeks).