Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

Parkinson's disease (PD) occurrence is higher in rural than in urban populations of industrialized countries. Epidemiologic and human tissue studies suggest that pesticides may be responsible for causing dopaminergic cell death at increased rates. While many pathophysiologic pathways may be involved in the neurodegeneration responsible for PD, genetic factors are likely to determine a general susceptibility to neurodegeneration.

This study will examine and compare what happens in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease with that of healthy normal subjects while they train to react as fast as possible to the appearance of a visual signal. Particularly, we will measure the amount of the chemical dopamine released in the brain as well as the electrical activity during training. Indeed, patients with Parkinson's disease frequently complain of slowness and early fatigue during movements. These symptoms are believed to be related to a decrease of dopamine in the brain which may be associated with abnormalities in cerebral electrical activity. Adult patients with Parkinson's disease who are right-handed, do not have dementia, and are not depressed may be eligible for this study. Healthy volunteers who match patients in age, gender, handedness, and level of education will also be studied. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical and neurological examinations, memory test, mood evaluation, and urine toxicology. All participants will be required to stop taking any medications that can influence the central nervous system and to abstain from alcohol consumption for 1 week before the screening examination and during the study training period. Patients with Parkinson's disease will also be required to stop using antiparkinsonian medications for at least 12 hours before the first visit and each training session. Participants will have several 1-hour training sessions. During these sessions, they will sit facing a computer screen at a distance of about 32 inches (80 centimeters) from their eyes. Six permanent position markers will be displayed. A keyboard with six spatially compatible response keys will be within reach of their right hand. Participants will respond as quickly and as accurately as possible to the appearance of a stimulus (e.g., white circle) below one of the markers by pressing the spatially corresponding key. About a second later, the next stimulus will be displayed below one of the other markers, and so on. Reaction times and accuracy will be recorded. After 3 to 10 minutes of practice (one block), there will be a rest period during which the computer will display information about the subject's accuracy of movements and reaction time. Then, a new block will start. There will be about 6 to 20 practice blocks per training session. The number of training session will vary between 3 and 6 depending on accuracy and reaction time during the task. During each training session, subjects will have encephalographic (EEG) recordings to measure the electrical activity of the brain. In addition, they will have one or two positron emission tomography (PET) scans during the first training session, and some will also have one or two PET scans during the last session. For the PET scan, the subject will be injected with a substance called raclopride, which is taken up by the brain. The raclopride is tagged with a radioactive substance so that it can be detected by the PET camera. The amount of raclopride detected in the brain will provide an indirect measure of the amount of dopamine released during training. Before or after one of the training sessions, participants will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study brain anatomy. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of the brain. The subject lies on a table in a space enclosed by a metal cylinder (the scanner). The test takes about 45 to 60 minutes, during which the participant must lie very still for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.

The problems in motor activity associated with Parkinson's disease are still poorly understood. Patients with Parkinson's disease often suffer from extremely slow movements (bradykinesia) which result in the inability to perform complex physical acts. Imaging studies of the brain have provided researchers with information about the specific areas in the brain associated with these motor difficulties. One particular area involved is the surface of the brain called the cerebral cortex. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to stimulate brain activity and gather information about brain function. It is very useful when studying the areas of the brain related to motor activity (motor cortex, corticospinal tract, and corpus callosum). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) involves the placement of a cooled electromagnet with a figure-eight coil on the patient's scalp and rapidly turning on and off the magnetic flux. This permits non-invasive, relatively localized stimulation of the surface of the brain (cerebral cortex). The effect of magnetic stimulation varies, depending upon the location, intensity and frequency of the magnetic pulses. Researchers plan to study the therapeutic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on complex motor behavior of patients with Parkinson's disease. In order to measure its effectiveness, patients will be asked to perform complex tasks, such as playing the piano while receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether low-vision occupational therapy improves quality of life in Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. Low-vision occupational therapy has not been previously studied in PD patients, and we suspect that this is a beneficial treatment option for PD patients as vision impairment is common in the PD patient population. Our primary objective will assess whether quality of life was improved following a low-vision occupational therapy session.

The goals of this study are To compare the functional effects of the LRRK2 G2385R variant among carriers with and without Parkinson's disease (PD) and non-carriers with and without PD To investigate the relationship between functional effects of the LRRK2 G2385R variant and PD associated phenotype To investigate the biomarkers associated with PD conversion in the LRRK2 G2385R variant carriers To compare the immune-related differences between PD patients/unaffected individuals with and without the LRRK2 G2385R mutation, and to investigate the effects of immune dysfunction on the clinical expression of PD

The main aims of the observational study are to taxonomize the contents of rehabilitation understanding goals and treatments provided to people with Parkinson Disease(PD) and Multiple Sclerosis(MS) and Stroke and their impact on the outcomes

The purpose of this study is to describe the safety and efficacy of opicapone plus standard of care in elderly patients with PD in the real-world setting

The objective of this clinical investigation is to characterize the clinical performance of Abbott's Clinician Programmer Electrode Screening Mode tool (InformityTM tool) in programming InfinityTM deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET).

The study would be designed as a multi-center cross-sectional investigation on the prevalence of Wearing-off in Parkinson's patients in Shanghai as well as related influencing factors.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized clinically by bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying neuronal degeneration in PD and currently, no treatment is available to halt disease progression in PD. The pathophysiological characterisation of phenomena occurring in the time window between the pathological start of the disease and the onset of motor symptoms is crucial to develop potential neuroprotective agents. Several genes have been discovered providing important insights on the pathogenesis of PD. Mutations of Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are associated with 2-5% of all PD cases in North American Caucasians. LRRK2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease-8 (PARK8) gene, which is associated with an increased risk of PD. Clinical and digital biomarkers, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, with specific radioligands, provide invaluable insights to help understand and characterise disease pathophysiology. The investigators aim to characterize molecular phenomena underlying LRRK2 PD with the hope of providing further insights into possible mechanisms taking place in PD and to help identify targets for disease-modifying therapeutics.