View clinical trials related to Parkinson's Disease.
Filter by:Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique assessing neuronal activations during motor or cognitive tasks. The MRI sequences used are currently optimized for the study of cortex activations, particularly concerning the echo time (TE).Very few studies are interested in optimizing the fMRI for the study of the basal ganglia, structure implicated in many neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease. The T2 * is a tissue parameter dependent of iron content, which differs with brain structures and probably also with age and in case of neurodegenerative disease. Optimal TE s should correspond to the T2 * of studied brain structure The primary purpose is to optimize the fMRI by a quantitative measurement of the T2* in the cortex and the basal ganglia using MRI. The secondary purpose is to study the effect of age and Parkinson's disease on T2*.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of a portable motion sensor-based system designed to assist with deep brain stimulation (DBS) programming sessions for Parkinson's disease patients.
The purpose of the study is to test whether body-worn wireless motion sensors can measure dyskinesias (involuntary movements caused by medications) in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) independent of voluntary activity being performed and other PD motor symptoms (e.g. tremor).
This study will be recording and evaluating brain activity from Deep Brain Stimulating (DBS) electrodes in patients with Parkinson's disease.
The investigators are interested in determining if the investigators are able to detect changes in brain chemistry using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), those with Gaucher's disease (GD), and those without neurological disorders (healthy controls) when they are given the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). This study will combine information from a medical history, a physical examination and disease rating scales with results obtained using MRS brain scans and pharmacokinetic studies from blood samples. This research will require 1 visit that will require about 4 to 5 hours of time. During this study, participants will provide their medical history, be examined and undergo a rating scale for about one hour; the brain scan and pharmacokinetic studies will require 1.5-2 hours of time; in total the study will take about 4-5 hours.
HYPOTHESIS: Constant current stimulation for STN DBS will allow better and more stable control of Parkinson's disease symptoms than constant voltage stimulation. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Two types of implantable pulse generators (IPGs) are available, differing on whether voltage or electrical current is controlled. Constant current IPGs provide a specific electrical current and will automatically adjust the voltage depending on the impedance, while the current applied by constant voltage IPGs will depend on the tissue impedance that may change over time. No study has compared the clinical differences of these two electronic modalities.
The basic nerve deficit of Parkinson's disease (PD) leads to lower urinary tract symptoms of frequency, urgency and urge urinary incontinence. Lower urinary tract symptoms tend to occur at more advanced stages of PD. In the over-65 year old age group, where 1% of men suffer from this disease, they are also prone to development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and consequent associated lower urinary tract dysfunction. Similarly the over 65-year age group develop spontaneous overactive bladder up to a prevalence of 30% of both men and women. The urologic disorder is exceedingly devastating in reducing the quality of life in these individuals due to the lower urinary tract symptoms and ultimate urinary incontinence in a high proportion of patients. While attempts at pharmacologic treatment are partially satisfactory many patients are intolerant of oral drugs. Botulinum-A neurotoxin (BTX-A) has been shown in pilot trials to be quite effective in reducing overactive bladder symptoms and is specifically beneficial for a wide-variety of neurogenic bladder causes of over activity . The treatment procedure of injecting the detrusor muscle of the bladder with BTX-A is quite simple, does not impose significant risks to the patient, and can be performed as an office urologic procedure. This pilot clinical trial intends to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of low-dose Botox-A injections into the bladder to improve urinary symptoms in 20 patients.
The study had three distinct parts and is described as follows: Part 1: - To evaluate the dose conversion from CD-LD ER taken alone or in combination with CD-LD IR to IPX066 in subjects with advanced PD - To evaluate the utility of the Objective Parkinson's Disease Measurement (OPDM), an exploratory computer-based system, in assessing dexterity and mobility in a subset of PD subjects. Part 2: • To evaluate the long-term safety and clinical utility of IPX066 under open-label conditions in eligible subjects who successfully completed Part 1 of the study. Part 3: • To further evaluate the long-term safety of IPX066 in eligible subjects who successfully completed Part 2.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that carbidopa in daily doses of 450mg will enter the central nervous system and partially inhibit AAAD, thereby reducing the decarboxylation of exogenous levodopa to dopamine, and thereby blunt the therapeutic effects of levodopa in PD subjects. The purpose of this study is to see how low dose vs. high dose of the study drug, carbidopa effect movement in subjects with Parkinson's disease. The low dose of the study drug is 75 mg and the high dose is 450mg. Subjects will be recruited from the investigators clinic when they are seen for treatment for Parkinson's disease. Subjects will also be recruited through flyers hung at OHSU and at the VA. Subjects will take part in 2 screening visits one week apart to determine eligibility. Subjects will be randomly chosen to start either high or low dose carbidopa and take it for 4 weeks. Subjects will be called 2, 4, and 6 or 7 days after this visit to ask how they are doing after starting this dose of study drug. We will leave them a message if we cannot reach them. If there are any problems, we will schedule them to come to the clinic within the next 2 days. Subjects will have an outpatient visit 2 weeks after screening and a hospital admission 2 weeks after that. At the hospital, subjects will stay for 3 days. They will have blood drawn and their Parkinson's disease assessed by a finger tapping exercise, timing their walking, and looking at their uncontrolled movements. The subject will then receive the opposite dose of carbidopa for 4 weeks. Subjects will be called 2, 4, and 6 or 7 days after this visit to ask how they are doing after starting this dose of study drug. We will leave them a message if we cannot reach them. If there are any problems, we will schedule them to come to the clinic within the next 2 days. The outpatient visit and hospital admission will repeat again. At the end of the second hospital admission, treatment on the study is over and subjects will go back to their original Parkinson's disease medications. The study will end with a follow up phone call or clinic visit 2 - 4 weeks after the final hospital admission. Subjects will fill out a daily diary that asks about their movement throughout the day for 3 days before they come to the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute. Carbidopa is used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease with levodopa. This protocol is using a high dose of 450mg of carbidopa. This study is also using IV levodopa, which is a different route than is normally given. Finger tapping rates will be compared between high and low dose study drug use to see if one group has slower rates than the other.
Background: - The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is looking at the long-term health effects of farming exposures including pesticides, crops, and animals. The chronic health effects of exposure to pesticides are easier to study in farmers and their spouses. They know what chemicals they use and tend to live in the same place for most of their adult lives. AHS participants are expected to report any changes in their health. This includes any new medical conditions. Researchers want to follow up on these reports to confirm their accuracy. Objectives: - To follow up AHS participants who have self-reported that they have a new disease and confirm their diagnosis. Eligibility: - Current AHS participants. Design: - Researchers will confirm self-reported changes in medical conditions by contacting the AHS participant to ask for more information. - The AHS participant will give permission for researchers to contact their doctor to look at their medical records. They will also be asked to provide a cheek swab or saliva sample. - Diseases of interest are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Sjogren s Syndrome. Other diseases will be followed up in the future. Other diseases will be followed up in the future.