Active clinical trials for "Multiple System Atrophy"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether identification of misfolded proteins in the skin will help to determine what sort of parkinsonism someone has. We seek to demonstrate whether someone has a synucleinopathy such as Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), or dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB), as opposed to a tauopathy such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) or corticobasal degeneration (CBD) or no parkinsonism at all (control).

The purpose of this study is to test the performance of the AID-P across 21 sites in the Parkinson Study Group. Each site will perform imaging, clinical scales, diagnosis, and will upload the data to the web-based software tool. The clinical diagnosis will be blinded to the diagnostic algorithm and the imaging diagnosis will be compared to the movement disorders trained neurologist diagnosis.

Synucleinopathies are a group of rare diseases associated with worsening neurological deficits and the abnormal accumulation of the protein α-synuclein in the nervous system. Onset is usually in late adulthood at age 50 or older. Usually, synucleinopathies present clinically with slowness of movement, coordination difficulties or mild cognitive impairment. Development of these features indicates that abnormal alpha-synuclein deposits have destroyed key areas of the brain involved in the control of movement or cognition. Patients with synucleinopathies and signs of CNS-deficits are frequently diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or multiple system atrophy (MSA). However, accumulation of alpha-synuclein and death of nerve cells can also begin outside the brain in the autonomic nerves. In such cases, syncucleinopathies present first with symptoms of autonomic impairment (unexplained constipation, urinary difficulties, and sexual dysfunction). In rare cases, hypotension on standing (a disorder known as orthostatic hypotension) may be the only clinical finding. This "pre-motor" autonomic stage suggests that the disease process may not yet have spread to the brain. After a variable period of time, but usually within 5-years, most patients with abnormally low blood pressure on standing develop cognitive or motor abnormalities. This stepwise evolution indicates that the disease spreads from the body to the brain. Another indication of this spread is that acting out dreams (i.e., REM sleep behavior disorder, RBD) a problem that occurs when the lower part of the brain is affected, may also be the first noticeable sign of Parkinson disease. The purpose of this study is to document the clinical features and biological markers of patients with synucleinopathies and better understand how these disorders evolve over time. The study will involve following patients diagnosed with a synucleinopathy (PD/DLB and MSA) and those believed to be in the "pre-motor" stage (with isolated autonomic impairment and/or RBD). Through a careful series of follow-up visits to participating Centers, we will focus on finding biological clues that predict which patients will develop motor/cognitive problems and which ones have the resilience to keep the disease at bay preventing spread to the brain. We will also define the natural history of MSA - the most aggressive of the synucleinopathies.

CoRDS, or the Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford, is based at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It provides researchers with a centralized, international patient registry for all rare diseases. This program allows patients and researchers to connect as easily as possible to help advance treatments and cures for rare diseases. The CoRDS team works with patient advocacy groups, individuals and researchers to help in the advancement of research in over 7,000 rare diseases. The registry is free for patients to enroll and researchers to access. Visit sanfordresearch.org/CoRDS to enroll.

This is a prospective cohort study to examine the disease burden of multiple system atrophy and the impact of multidisciplinary care on quality of life and caregiver burden. Data will be collected through valid rating scales completed by patients and caregivers at home or in the MSA clinic.

Cognitive neurodegenerative diseases are a major public health issue. At present, the diagnosis of certainty is still based on anatomopathological analyses. Even if the diagnostic tools available to clinicians have made it possible to improve probabilistic diagnosis during the patient's lifetime, there are still too many diagnostic errors and sub-diagnostic in this field. The arrival of biomarkers has made it possible to reduce these diagnostic errors, which were of the order of 25 to 30%. This high error rate is due to different parameters. These diseases are numerous and often present common symptoms due to the fact that common brain structures are affected. These diseases evolve progressively over several years and their early diagnosis, when the symptoms are discrete, makes them even more difficult to diagnose at this stage. In addition, co-morbidities are common in the elderly, further complicating the diagnosis of these diseases. At present, the only cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers that are routinely used for the biological diagnosis of neurodegenerative cognitive pathologies are those specific to Alzheimer's disease: Aβ42, Aβ40, Tau-total and Phospho-Tau. These biomarkers represent an almost indispensable tool in the diagnosis of dementia. It is therefore important to determine whether Alzheimer's biomarkers can be disrupted in other neurodegenerative cognitive pathologies, but also to find biomarkers specific to these different pathologies by facilitating the implementation of clinical studies which will thus make it possible to improve their diagnosis.

This is a non-interventional observational study designed to systematically record the results of routine laryngeal examinations and specific characteristics of dysphagia in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), Parkinson's disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and related 4repeat tauopathies. The results of a fiberoptic / flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) while performing a structured task protocol will be recorded. If available, laryngeal electromyography (EMG) results will also be recorded. In addition to the examination results, demographic and disease-specific data are collected, and two questionnaires, the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire for Parkinson's Disease (SDQ-PD) and the swallowing specific Quality Of Life Questionnaire (SWALQOL), are administered.

This study will enroll participants with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and healthy controls for the purpose of preparing for a clinical trial of neuroprotective treatments against synucleinopathies.

In this study the investigators would like to investigate the degree of damage of the synapses, an important part of the neurons vital for the communications between neurons, in Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).

Background: The autonomic nervous system controls automatic body functions. Researchers want to improve the tests used to diagnose autonomic failure. Orthostatic hypertension is a drop in blood pressure when a person stands up. Researchers want to focus on this sign of autonomic failure. Objective: To improve testing for conditions that cause autonomic nervous system failure. Eligibility: People ages 18 and older in one of these categories: Their blood pressure drops when they get up. They have had a heart transplant or bilateral endoscopic thoracic sympathectomies or have had or will have renal sympathetic ablation Design: All participants will be screened with: Medical history Physical exam Blood and urine tests Some participants will be screened with: Heart and breathing tests IV placement into an arm vein Tilt table testing: Participants lie on a table that tilts while an IV is used to draw their blood. Participants may stay in the hospital for up to 1 week depending on their tests. Tests may include repeats of screening tests and: Sweat testing: A drug is placed on the skin to cause sweating. Sensors on the skin measure moisture. Lumbar puncture: A needle is inserted between the bones in the back to collect fluid. MRI and PET/CT scan: Participants lie on a table that slides into a scanner. For the PET/CT, a small amount of a radioactive chemical will be injected with a small amount of a radioactive chemical. Bladder catheter placement to collect urine Skin biopsies: A punch tool removes a small skin sample. Tests to see how the pupils react to light Smelling tests Thinking and memory tests Questionnaires Participants may have a visit about 2 years later to repeat tests.