Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

Parkinson's disease (PD) has considerable impact on motor, psychological and social activities and significantly affects the quality of life of patients and their families. To improve the medical care of PD patients, the investigator have developed an educational program specific to PD. The principal aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic education Program, comparing the quality of life of PD patients with or without the educational program after six month and one year follow-up. The secondary aims are to evaluate the evolution of motor and psychological states in these 2 groups of patients and to compare the medical costs. This is a monocentric, comparative, prospective randomised study. The investigators will evaluate 120 PD patients, 60 patients benefiting of the educational program and 60 patients with a traditional medical care. Quality of life of PD patients is evaluated using a specific scale (PDQ39) and a generalist scale (SF36) at 6 and 12 months. Motor and psychological states were assessed with UPDRS and HAD Scales. The educational program consisted of both individual and collective educational consultations. The investigators supposed that the therapeutic education program will improve the quality of life of PD patients. The supposition that this improvement will correlate with the motor and psychological states.

Improvement of behavioral addictions in STN-DBS in PD: Long term follow-up

This proposal seeks to 1) determine whether there are biomarkers associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) susceptibility and/or progression in exosome-proteomes derived from PD patients versus controls, and 2) to determine if LRRK2 expression and/or phosphorylation are significantly lowered in the exosomes of individuals treated with the potent LRRK2 kinase inhibitor sunitinib (a multi-kinase inhibitor compound), to establish an assay for on-target effects for future LRRK2 inhibitor clinical trials.

The objective of the study is to assess the effect of motor, non-motor and genetic factors on the progression of Parkinson's disease as well as its impact on complications rates. A large sample of Mexican subjects with Parkinson's disease attending several referral centers will be included. Data collected will include disease severity and motor scales, non-motor scales as well as genotyping for monogenic forms of the disease. Assessments will be performed every 6 months for two years.

Balance and gait problems cause severe impairments for people with Parkinson's disease In some Parkinson's disease patients the investigators see a loss of acetylcholine in the brain. In previous studies the investigators have shown that this loss of acetylcholine is related to impaired balance and gait function in Parkinson's disease. In this study the investigators will take a closer look at this finding.

This study aims to characterize the nature of impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease (PD).

Background: - Parkinson s disease is a disease of the nervous system that affects movement. People usually get it in their 70s or 80s. Early onset Parkinson s disease (EOPD) begins before the age of 50. Researchers think EOPD may be caused by a mutation in a gene. They want to study the genetic causes so they can find therapies for this disease. Objective: - To better understand the genetic causes of EOPD. Eligibility: Adults ages 18 80 with a history of EOPD. Their family members, who do not have Parkinson s disease, can join as controls. Healthy volunteers ages 18 80. Design: Participants with EOPD and their relatives will be screened with a review of medical records. Healthy volunteers will have medical history, physical exam, and blood drawn. Relatives may send blood samples to NIH to test for mutations in genes that are linked to Parkinson s disease. They may have a physical exam. Participants may be asked to return to clinic for another visit that can last up to 2 hours. During this visit, participants will have blood taken from a vein in the arm via a needle stick. Participants may give a sample of their skin. The skin on the arm or leg will be numbed and a small skin punch biopsy will be taken with a special needle. Some cells from the blood or skin sample may be grown in a lab to establish cell lines. The cells may also potentially be genetically modified to make stem cells. Researchers may perform genetic analysis on the samples to compare them to EOPD patient samples.

This study (https://pdrisk.ninds.nih.gov) will determine if people who have risk factors for Parkinson disease (PD) have biomarkers (objective ways to measure a disease process) that show that the disease process is actually going on, and if people who have abnormal biomarkers go on to develop PD during several years of follow-up. Biomarkers of Parkinson disease (PD) might identify people who are healthy now but may develop the disease later in life. Healthy volunteers and people who have certain risk factors for developing PD who are between 18 and 70 years of age may be eligible for this study. People with the following risk factors are included: Family history of PD Loss of sense of smell Fall in blood pressure when standing up REM behavior disorder (a type of sleep disturbance) Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Screening examination Medical and neurological history and physical examination Tests or rating scales for movement, sense of smell, mood, attention, fatigue, pain, and thinking. Measurement of blood pressure and pulse rate while lying down and then standing up Blood draw for genetic testing Inpatient testing at the NIH Clinical Center for 2-3 days, including: Measurements while blowing against a resistance Measurements of blood pressure and pulse rate Blood draws for levels of various chemicals PET and MRI scanning Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) Electrocardiogram Skin electrical conduction test (test of sweat production) Skin and core temperature measurements Transcranial ultrasound (sound-wave test of the head) Follow-up testing (up to five visits in 18-month intervals) to repeat some of the tests listed above, excluding the genetic testing and spinal tap

Approximately twenty four (24) subjects will participate in this research trial. The research trial will be conducted in approximately twelve (12) medical centers in the following countries: Germany, France, South Africa, Austria and Canada. The research trial will last until December 2011.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves debilitating symptoms of movement disorders when conventional medical therapies and novel surgical therapies fail. Despite the remarkable efficacy of DBS, its therapeutic mechanism remains unclear. There is controversy regarding whether the therapeutic effects of DBS are associated with inhibition or excitation of target neurons, the introduction of new activity into the network, or a combination of these mechanisms. Additionally, it is unclear why stimulus frequency plays an important role in the clinical response to therapy. The fundamental hypothesis of this proposal is that unilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS in PD alters neuronal activity in the bilateral basal ganglia-thalamic-cortical motor system in a manner that is dependent on stimulation frequency.