Current surgical treatments for Parkinson's disease have associated risks that may prevent patients from being offered surgery called "deep brain stimulation" or DBS. This is mainly because electrodes have to be placed through brain tissue to reach the target. Stimulation at the surface of the brain might be a potential alternative, but current research has not shown consistent results, and this may be because the mechanism of action is not clear. In this study, we aim to stimulate and record the brain at the surface to help answer this question and potentially improve the consistency and effectiveness of this treatment.
The purpose of this research study is to learn how Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which targets a part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus (STN), may affect thinking and memory in people with Parkinson's Disease (PD). We plan to include about 55 people with PD who have already had DBS surgery at MUSC's Clinical DBS Program.
As part of the study, participants will attend two visits after their DBS surgery. The first visit, which will last about three hours, includes going over the study information and consent form, collecting background information (demographics), and completing tests that measure thinking and memory (cognitive assessments). The second visit, also about three hours, will involve an MRI scan to look at how the brain's networks change when the DBS device is turned on and off.
These findings may help doctors and researchers make better decisions about which patients are most likely to benefit from DBS surgery and how to choose the best stimulation settings to reduce unwanted changes in thinking and memory.
Your participation in this study will help researchers understand genetic information about Parkinson's disease in Black and African Americans. BLAAC PD aims to generate genetic data on PD and non-PD Black and African American participants. To join this study, you must be over 18 years of age and identify as Black or African American. Subjects must have a diagnosis of PD or not have PD or any other neurological condition. The study will consist of one visit, at this visit you will be asked to answer a few questions and give a blood sample. You will not receive your genetic results.
For this study, we are recruiting 54 individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Freezing of Gait (FOG) who are planning to undergo Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). The objective of this study is to better understand the FOG response to DBS. Prior to DBS study participants will undergo a MRI scan, behavioral assessment related to walking, a cognitive evaluation, and assessment of other Parkinson's disease symptoms. Following DBS participants will repeat these assessments at multiple timepoints over the period of one year. Overall, participants will complete a total of 7 visits over a period of approximately 1 year.
This study will help determine the safety and effectiveness of BIIB122, compared to placebo (an inactive substance), in people with early-stage Parkinson's disease. The use of BIIB122 in this study is investigational. "Investigational" means that the study drug is currently being tested and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other health authorities around the world for treating people with PD. The study is expected to last a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 3 years. You may or may not receive direct medical benefit from participating in this study. Your condition may get better, worse, or stay the same. The information obtained from this study, however, could help other patients with your disease in the future.
The objective of this research study is to identify brain biomarkers using MRI scans that can predict an individual's response to Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). A total of 55 participants with Parkinson's Disease planning to undergo DBS will be recruited from MUSC's Clinical DBS Program. Participants will undergo two visits which include a 2.5-hour pre-DBS questionnaire and MRI scanning visit, and a 3.5-hour post-DBS cognitive assessment visit. In addition control participants without Parkinson's Disease will be recruited to undergo MRI scanning and cognitive assessments.
The purpose of this research study is to identify brain activation patterns in response to deep brain stimulation (DBS). To participate in this study, participants are required to have had a DBS implant or to be healthy controls without a history of a neurological disorder. Participants will undergo screening, a motor assessment session and a 30-minute Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) session where their DBS device will be turned on and off in a cycled pattern. This study will be separated over 3 visits (Visit 1 for screening, Visit 2 for motor assessments and Visit 3 for the MRI scans). The total study duration will be approximately 5 hours.
This randomized clinical trial is designed to test the efficacy of ZA-5 mg in PD patients. This trial will also address barriers to treatment of patients with PD by providing rigorous evidence about whether ZA reduces fracture risk in patients with PD, simplifying treatment by giving ZA at home without extra medical visits and BMD testing, and overcoming poor persistence with oral therapies because one infusion may prevent bone loss for at least 2 years. The outcome of this trial will demonstrate how a home-based fracture prevention can reach older PD patients who would not otherwise receive treatment to reduce their high risk of fractures.
This is an exploratory study and the information obtained may lead to new findings regarding the inflammatory and neurodegenerative mechanisms in the progression of PD and help to develop new drugs to halt the disease progression. The study simply involves a one time blood draw.
We will ask 80 patients with Parkinson's disease, representing the full spectrum of motor and cognitive symptoms, to participate. Participation will include measurement of eye movements using two methods: the new computer-based saccade battery and the best available video-based eye-tracking equipment. The evaluation will be repeated about 30 days later. Data will be analyzed to determine whether the computer-based tasks are reliable and able to provide the same quality of information as the gold standard in eye-tracking. A comparison sample of 80 healthy older adults will also complete the behavioral saccade tests in order to establish normative data that will enable application in clinical settings.