View clinical trials related to Parkinson's Disease.
Filter by:This study will evaluate the effects of an experimental drug called ACP-103 on Parkinson's disease symptoms and on dyskinesias (involuntary movements) that develop as a result of long-term levodopa treatment. ACP-103 changes the spread of certain brain signals that are affected in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patients with relatively advanced Parkinson's disease and dyskinesias who are between 30 and 80 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a complete medical history and physical examination, neurological evaluation, blood and urine tests, and electrocardiogram (ECG). A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, CT scan, and chest x-ray may be done if medically indicated. Patients enrolled in the study will, if possible, stop taking all antiparkinsonian medications for one month (2 months for Selegiline) before the study begins and throughout its duration. Exceptions are Sinemet (levodopa/carbidopa), Mirapex (pramipexole) and Requip (ropinirole). Levodopa Dose Finding After the screening evaluations, patients are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 2 to 3 days to undergo a levodopa "dose-finding" procedure. For this test, patients stop taking Sinemet and instead have levodopa infused through a vein. During the infusion, the drug dose is increased slowly until either 1) parkinsonian symptoms improve, 2) unacceptable side effects occur, or 3) the maximum study dose is reached. Side effects are monitored closely during the infusions, and parkinsonian symptoms are evaluated frequently during and after the infusions. The infusions usually begin early in the morning and continue until evening. Once the infusion is finished, patients resume taking their regular oral Sinemet dose. The infusions are repeated once a week during 1-day inpatient evaluations. Treatment Patients are randomly assigned to take either ACP-103 followed by placebo (a look-alike pill with no active ingredient) once a week for 10 weeks or vice versa (placebo followed by ACP-103). Patients are admitted to the Clinical Center for each dose. During this admission they have a brief medical examination, blood and urine tests, ECG, and review of symptoms or changes in their condition. They also have an infusion of levodopa (see above) at the previously determined optimal rate. Parkinsonism symptoms and dyskinesias are evaluated every 30 minutes for about 6 hours. At the end of the infusions and ratings, patients are discharged home with their regular Parkinson's medications until the following visit. Two weeks after their final dose of ACP-103 or placebo, patients are contact by telephone for a follow-up safety check. At that time, the investigator may ask the patient to return to the clinic for closer evaluation.
This study will test a chemical called s-adenosyl-methionine (SAM-e) for the treatment of depression in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
The purpose of this trial is to test the short-term effectiveness of valerian, a medicinal herb, to improve sleep in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
The goal of this study is to assess the impact of minocycline and creatine on the progression of Parkinson's disease, in order to determine whether it is reasonable to proceed with further study of either of these agents.
The goals of this study are to determine if simultaneous bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation or simultaneous bilateral globus pallidus stimulation is more effective in reducing symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and if deep brain stimulation or best medical therapy is more effective in improving Parkinson's disease symptoms
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety of AVP-923 in the treatment of Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder (IEED) also known as Pseudobulbar Affect (episodes of uncontrolled crying and/or laughter).
The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the effect of deep brain stimulation in the the globus pallidus (Gpi) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) on motor, neuropsychological and psychiatric function, and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's 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.
The goal of the clinical trial aim in this project is to test whether catechol thioethers can be used as biomarkers of dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
The long term goal of this research is to elucidate the cause(s) of Parkinson's disease, with a focus on environmental determinants. We propose to investigate the relationship between Parkinson's disease and exposure to pesticides and other factors by conducting a nested case-control study in the Agricultural Health Study.