Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

This is an observational, multi-center study to assess clinical features and biologic biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to healthy controls (HC). The primary objective of this study is to discover clinical and biologic markers of PD for use in clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive retinal imaging technology that can provide high-resolution cross-sectional images of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and measure its thickness. A reduction of the RNFL thickness has been detected in several neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, CADASIL and Alzheimer's disease. Different studies have reported RNFL changes also in Parkinson's disease (PD),a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor dysfunctions, originally described by James Parkinson in 1817. PD is characterized by selective dopaminergic neuronal cells loss, which may correlate with RNFL thinning. Previous studies on this subject, however, reported contradicting results. Some investigations reported reductions of the RNFL thickness while others did not. In the present study, in order to determine whether RNFL thickness is reduced in PD patients, we performed a meta-analysis and systematically evaluated RNFL thickness measurements with OCT in a series of PD patients and in the healthy control groups.

In this study the aim is to evaluate the outcome of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and continuous intraduodenal levodopa therapy in patients with advanced Parkinson' disease by using Parkinson's KinetiGraph™ device which is a movement and acceleration measuring device. In this study we also evaluate the usability of Parkinson's KinetiGraph™ device by comparing it with written patient diaries.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder that is increasingly recognized in our ageing population. It is characterized by cardinal clinical features including bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. For most people with PD, the most serious concern is with the motor system: stiffness, slowness of movement, impaired handwriting and coordination, poor mobility and balance. However, more than half of all people with PD have experienced painful symptoms. Most people experience aching, stiffness, numbness and tingling at some point in the course of the illness. Defazio et al reported that pain may begin at clinical onset of PD or thereafter as a non-motor feature of PD.5 Aching muscles and joints are especially common in PD. Rigidity, lack of spontaneous movement, abnormalities of posture and awkward mechanical stresses all contribute to musculoskeletal pain in PD.

Symptoms of blood pressure dysregulation, impaired swallowing and digestion are common amongst parkinson patients. The overall aim of this study is to examine blood pressure regulation and esophageal motility and gastric emptying in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The investigators hypothesize that - compared to age-matched controls - PD patients display an altered regulation of blood pressure, altered gastroesophageal motility, and delayed gastric emptying. These symptoms occur already early in the disease process, but aggravate with progression of the disease. The investigators will perform a 7-day blood pressure measurement, measurement of central blood pressure and pulse wave velocity, assessment of pulse variability, Schellong tests to assess orthostatic function, high resolution manometry assessments during swallowing acts, and a 13C-sodium octanoate breath test to assess gastric emptying, in 18 PD patients (9 each Hoehn&Yahr stages 1,2) and 12 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Results will be interpreted in relation to the severity of PD motor symptoms. The investigators anticipate that blood pressure dysregulation and gastroesophageal motility disturbances will be present only in PD subjects, but not in matched controls without neurological disorders and without any extrapyramidal motor signs. Furthermore, the investigators expect to find an association between motor impairment and the severity of these autonomic symptoms, however, that according to the Braak staging, subtle disturbances must already be present in the early stages of PD.

The purpose of this study is to learn if a new brain imaging technology called DaTscan can detect subtle changes in the brain that are similar to those seen in early Parkinson's disease (PD). The results of this study may provide more information about a possible association between mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and PD. The objectives of this study are to define and describe a group of approximately 7,122 mTBI subjects and 7,122 subjects without mTBI (mTBI-) seen in the Emergency Rooms of NorthShore University HealthSystem during the years 2006-2011, and to select from willing eligible subjects a random sample of 100 mTBI subjects and 100 mTBI- subjects (of the same age and gender) to undergo written informed consent, neurological examinations, blood drawing for DNA extraction and storage, and DaTscan brain imaging. The investigators will compare the findings from persons who experienced mTBI (cases) to persons without a history of brain injury (mTBI- or "controls").

The purpose of this study is to better understand why individuals with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) fall. Understanding the mechanism of gait and balance dysfunction in individuals with PSP may provide us with important early diagnostic tools, allowing for earlier identification of mobility problems and to better evaluate medical therapies aimed at improving motor disability. The investigators will recruit 10 PSP, 10 PD and 10 healthy controls for the study. All subjects will be asked to come to the OHSU clinic at the Center for Health and Healing for an initial screening visit. They will meet with the primary investigator to conduct a brief interview and physical examination. In addition, they will be asked to answer questions regarding current and past medical illness, how often they fall and what kinds of medications they are on. Subjects who agree to participate will come to the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) at OHSU for balance testing. Subjects will be asked to stand or sit on a movable platform with eyes open or closed. Prior to standing on the platform, the investigators will place 6 small sensors on body which are held in place by velcro straps (one on each wrist, ankles, chest and lower back). The platform will then be moved (tilt or slide) while subjects try to keep their balance. During all of the balance tests described above, body movements will be recorded from the sensors on the subjects' body. This data is directly recorded by a computer and analyzed to help us gain better understanding of the subjects' posture and their ability to remain up right.

microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate fundamental cell processes. Dysregulation of miRNA expression and function is reported in various diseases including cancer, metabolic disorders as well as neurological disorders. Circulating miRNAs have been proposed to mirror physiological and pathological conditions suggesting their use as biomarkers for various diseases. The study will focus on a case-control study cohort (N=1000) of subjects recruited at the IRCCS Neuromed for which a deep clinical characterization and genome-wide sequencing data are available. This study will enable to identify novel circulating biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD). Further, the project will give new insights on the involvement of miRNAs in the etiology of PD and in the understanding of the genetics of the disease thus opening avenues for novel therapeutic strategies.

Difficulty in turning is common after Parkinson's Disease. Patients with Parkinson's Disease take a greater number of steps, longer duration, narrower base of support in turning. Thus, turning ability is systematically investigated in Parkinson's Disease. The aim of this study to invastigate reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the timed 360° turn test in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

The brain networks controlling movement are complex, involving multiple areas of the brain. Some neurological diseases, like Parkinson's disease, cause abnormalities in the brain networks. Deep brain stimulation is a treatment that is used to treat these types of neurological diseases. Through this research, the investigators will take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by awake deep brain stimulation surgery to learn more about how the brain functions in a diseased state and how deep brain stimulation changes these networks. This study aims to enroll up to 75 subjects over a period of 2.5 years. Those who participate in the study will spend up to 40 minutes during their deep brain stimulation surgery during which researchers will record signals from deep structures within the brain as well as the surface of the brain using electrodes that are temporarily placed for research purposes. During the study, researchers will record signals while subjects perform three different tasks, in some cases while the brain is stimulated. Study participation is limited to the intraoperative environment with no additional study visits required.