View clinical trials related to Parkinson's Disease.
Filter by: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.
The purpose of this research is to determine whether repetitive sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the prefrontal cortex can enhance the cognitive, affective and motor functioning of those with Parkinson's Disease. In this study we will compare active tDCS with sham tDCS. Each subject will receive two consecutive weeks of stimulation (Monday through Friday). A battery of neuropsychological and affective tests will be administered throughout the duration of the study.
Along with cognitive and psychobehavioural disorders, gait disorders represent a major problem in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). PD can be considered to be a hyperglutamatergic disease because dopaminergic depletion induces hyperactivity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the internal pallidum (GPi), with glutamatergic hyperactivity of the STN's efferent pathway, i.e., the subthalamopallidal, subthalamonigral and subthalamo-entopeduncular pathways (projecting to the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN)). Excess glutamate in the PPN has also been observed in the 6-OHDA rat model of PD. Reduction of this glutamatergic hyperactivity within the PPN via the systemic or intra-peduncular administration of glutamate antagonists improves akinesia in drug-induced murine and primate models of PD, via the NMDA and AMPA receptors. High doses of memantine (10 mg/kg) improve locomotion in reserpine- and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine-treated rats. In humans, the PPN may play a key role in gait, posture control, axial rigidity and attention. It is also involved in the gating of sensory information involved in the startle reflex, which can be studied via prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the blink reflex. At present, two uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists are approved for use in humans: amantadine and memantine. Reviews of the recent literature on these drugs have identified no published studies specifically on severe gait and attention disorders in PD. Memantine is a partial blocker of open NMDA channels. The value of memantine relates to the fact that it decreases excessive glutamatergic transmission by lowering the synaptic noise due to excessive activation of NMDA receptors. In this double-blind study, the investigators shall seek to demonstrate the presence or absence of an effect of memantine on gait and attention disorders. In order to study the interaction between glutamatergic hyperactivity and the dopaminergic system, the investigators shall study the phenomena both in the absence of L-dopa and following acute administration of the latter. Twenty eight volunteer, non-demented, late-stage PD patients displaying severe gait disorders will receive memantine (20 mg/day) or placebo for 3 months. The investigators expect to see a reduction in gait and attention disorders, together with an improvement in the blink reflex with PPI under memantine. This pilot study could subsequently be turned into a double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study.
The purpose of this research is to evaluate changes in cholinergic brain activity over time in subjects with Parkinson disease.
The study hypothesis is that continuous ND0611 increases the bioavailability of levodopa and therefore the levodopa area-under-the-concentration-curve values, half-life, and trough concentrations The study will help determining the safety and tolerability of ND0611 and determine the pharmacokinetic profile of levodopa following multiple oral dosing of levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD) and continuous delivery of ND0611
The use of low level electrical stimulation when applied over the head, also called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is being tested by several groups of researchers to see if tDCS can improve movements of persons with damage to the brain. The safety and potential benefits of tDCS to children or adults patients who are paralyzed because of brain damage are reported in the medical literature. In addition, some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience improvement in memory and report better use of the hand after tDCS. The treatment requires putting electrodes (pads) over the head and sending very small amount of electrical current that the patient may feel as "little tingling". Application of tDCS takes 20 min. In this study we wish to test if tDCS application can improve stepping and walking ability of subjects with PD and if the improvement is the same as when walking on treadmill. We plan to test the subject's ability to step when pulled by a laboratory testing system and also test his/her walking ability. There will be 3 sessions 7 days apart. In the first session the subject will be tested then treated for 20 min with tDCS and then tested again. In the second session the subject will be tested then walk on a treadmill for 20 min then tested again. In the third session the subject will be tested then walk on the treadmill for 20 min while receiving also tDCS and tested one last time at the end of the session. Each session will take between 2 and 3 hours.
The purpose of this study is to determine the long term safety and clinical utility of IPX066 in subjects with Parkinson's Disease.
This Phase IIb exploratory study is designed to determine whether AFQ056 is safe and effective and whether it can increase the therapeutic window of L-dopa in patients whose control of their Parkinson's Disease symptoms is limited by the development of dyskinesia induced by use of L-dopa.
We are testing a computer game-style rehabilitation program for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). People with PD often have difficulty with motor planning, such as initiating or starting movements. We believe that our program will improve performance on a movement initiation task as well as on activities of daily living, such as walking, preparing a meal or opening a medicine bottle. We will measure brain function using functional MRI before and after training to identify brain areas that are involved in improved performance. If effective, computer based training will be an inexpensive treatment for motor planning deficits in PD that is free from side effects and easy to administer to a large number of patients.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by extra-pyramidal symptoms as well as digestive involvement with gastrointestinal motility (GI) impairment. Deep brain stimulation has been recently developed as a successful treatment for extrapyramidal symptoms. In addition, preliminary reports suggest that this therapy might be successful to relieve GI symptoms as well. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the effect of deep brain stimulation on GI voluntary as well as involuntary motility.