Active clinical trials for "Multiple System Atrophy"

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a sporadic neurodegenerative disorder of the adult associated to a poor prognosis. MSA is clinically characterized by the association of extra-pyramidal, dysautonomic, cerebellar and pyramidal symptoms. Histological and biological studies have raised the hypothesis that, beside the well known dopamine deficiency, some of the symptoms could be related to a dysfunction in serotoninergic neurotransmission. Serotonin is involved in the modulation of several functions impaired in MSA, such as mood, motricity or sleep. The recent description of an association between loss of brainstem serotonin neurons and sudden death in patients with MSA reinforced the hypothesis of a critical role played by this neurotransmitter in the pathophysiology of this disease. Autoreceptors called 5-HT1a are strongly involved in the regulation of serotonin neurotransmission. During the last years several radio-ligands allowing in vivo PET quantification of 5-HT1a receptors, such as 18F-MPPF (4-(2'-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2'-(N-2''-piridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamide]methylpiperazine), were developed. Moreover, the investigators recently demonstrated the ability of this brain functional imaging method to investigate, in healthy volunteers, the functional properties of 5-HT1a autoreceptors through an evaluation of their desensitization after a single oral dose of fluoxetine.

The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of neurological conditions. Patients participating in this study will continue receiving medical care, routine laboratory tests, and diagnostics tests (X-rays, CT-scans, and nuclear imaging), from their primary care physician. Doctors at the NIH plan to follow these patients and offer advice and assistance to their primary care physicians.

The overall goal of PROBE is to evaluate the feasibility and potential utility of three markers (alpha-synuclein, transcriptomic profiles and olfactory function) to determine the risk or prognosis of PD.

The diagnosis and management of movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), parkinson-plus syndromes (PPS), dystonia, essential tremor (ET), normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and others is challenging given the lack of objective diagnostic and monitoring tools with high sensitivity and specificity. A cornerstone in research of neurological disorders manifesting as MDi is the investigation of neurophysiological changes as potential biomarkers that could help in diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and response to therapies. Such a neuro-marker that would overcome the major disadvantages of clinical questionnaires and rating scales (such as the Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale -UPDRS, for PD, The Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale -TETRAS, for ET and others), including low test-retest repeatability and subjective judgment of different raters, would have real impact on disease diagnosis and choice of interventions and monitoring of effects of novel therapeutics, including disease modifying therapies. To address this, ElMindA has developed over the last decade a non-invasive, low-cost technology named Brain Network Activation (BNA), which is a new imaging approach that can detect changes in brain activity and functional connectivity. Results from proof-of concept studies on PD patients have demonstrated that: 1) PD patients exhibited a significant decrease in BNA scores relatively to healthy controls; 2) notable changes in functional network activity in correlation with different dopamine-agonist doses; 3) significant correlation between BNA score and the UPDRS). 4) BNA could also differentiate early PD from healthy controls

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Cortico-Basal Degeneration (CBD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) are degenerative brain conditions for which there are currently no curative treatments. To aid the development of new treatment trials, there is a pressing need to develop better methods for diagnosing these conditions early, and to track disease progression. The PROSPECT-M-UK study will collect standardised clinical data over time. Patients will also have the option to have a brain MRI scan, eye movement exam and donate blood, skin and spinal fluid samples, with the aim to identify "biomarkers" that can improve the accuracy of early diagnosis and track the natural time course of disease. Control participants and those not meeting criteria for Parkinson's disease or other defined conditions but are considered by the investigator group to be allied syndromes or at risk states (atypical parkinsonian syndromes), will also be examined. Patients can also participate via the CBD European registry or in a one-off study assessment through the cross-sectional study, which involves completing questionnaires and a blood sample donation.

The purpose of this expanded access program is to provide access to the investigational drug verdiperstat in patients with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Expanded access allows patients with a serious or a life-threatening disease or condition access to an investigational drug when no satisfactory approved treatment options are available.