Parkinsonism

VISMEMO-PD is an observational pilot study aimed at investigating visuospatial memory in reaching space and topographical memory in navigational space in patients with Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism. The protocol is based on the hypothesis that topographical memory may deteriorate before visuospatial memory, suggesting that navigational memory impairment could represent an early indicator of disease progression. The study will include 80 participants stratified into four groups: patients with mild Parkinson's disease, patients with moderate-advanced Parkinson's disease, patients with Parkinsonism, and healthy participants. Visuospatial memory will be assessed using the Corsi Block-tapping Test, while topographical memory will be assessed using the Walking Corsi Test. Walking motor patterns will be recorded using wearable inertial sensors from the MOVIT system, and visual exploration strategies will be assessed using a wearable Pupil Labs eye-tracking system. The integration of cognitive, motor, and eye-tracking measures may support the identification of early neuropsychological markers and the development of tailored neurorehabilitation pathways for individuals with Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism.

Parkinsonism impairs upper airway and axial motor control, leading to disordered breathing, reduced speech volume, and ineffective cough. Symptoms are poorly addressed by current therapies. This randomized pilot trial tests whether a single session of acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (AIHH) or hypercapnic normoxia (AIHN) improves upper airway and axial motor function in Parkinsonism, and explores biomarker correlates of intervention responsiveness.

This is a single-center, prospective, observational cohort study designed to investigate the progression and differential diagnosis of Parkinsonism using a multimodal approach. The study plans to enroll 400 patients with Parkinsonism, 120 patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and 120 healthy controls, with follow-up for 5 years. Assessments will include neuroimaging, clinical rating scales, biological samples, blood flow evaluation, neurophysiological testing, tremor analysis, and voice and video assessments. The study aims to characterize disease progression, explore factors associated with progression from rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder to Parkinsonism, and improve the ability to distinguish among different Parkinsonian disorders.

This study is a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort (patient registry) designed to better understand freezing of gait (FOG), a disabling walking problem that can occur in Parkinson's disease and other related neurological conditions.The purpose of this registry is to collect long-term clinical information from patients with freezing of gait or gait and balance problems, and to explore how different causes of FOG are related to symptoms, walking patterns, falls, disease progression, and outcomes over time. The study will include participants with Parkinson's disease and other conditions associated with freezing of gait.Participants will receive standard medical care as determined by their treating physicians. No experimental drugs or study-related treatments will be assigned as part of this registry. Clinical information will be collected during routine visits and follow-up assessments, including questionnaires, walking and balance evaluations, video recordings, and other commonly used clinical tests.The information collected in this study may help improve the understanding of freezing of gait, support better risk assessment for falls, and guide future research and clinical management strategies for patients with gait and balance disorders.

Parkinson's disease (PDS) is a syndrome characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural disturbances. Causes include Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Non-motor symptoms of PDS, such as neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH), have received more intensive research due to their greater disabling potential compared to motor symptoms. In patients with PD and MSA, nOH can lead to intolerance to medications such as levodopa, significantly increasing the risk of falls, accelerating cognitive decline, and increasing the risk of all-cause mortality. However, conventional pharmacological treatments (such as midodrine, droxidopa, and fludrocortisone) and non-pharmacological approaches (such as compression abdominal bands, elastic stockings, and deep brain stimulation) for non-motor symptoms such as nOH have numerous limitations, including short-term efficacy, uncertain efficacy, and side effects. Therefore, exploring new non-pharmacological treatments to improve nOH and delay disease progression in patients with PDS is crucial for improving their quality of life and prognosis. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS), including invasive (epidural) spinal cord stimulation (eSCS) and non-invasive (transcutaneous) spinal cord stimulation (tSCS), is a novel neuromodulatory technique with clinical applications in a variety of neurological diseases. Currently, several small-sample studies have suggested the potential efficacy of SCS for nOH caused by spinal cord injury (SCI). This study innovatively proposes the use of eSCS and tSCS to improve nOH and related clinical symptoms in patients with PDS. A prospective, single-center, randomized, controlled clinical trial is planned to compare the efficacy of invasive and non-invasive SCS in treating nOH, thereby providing new insights for the effective treatment of PDS.

When the charity Homeopathy UK launched a new London based charitable clinic for Neurodegenerative Diseases (NDD), including Parkinson's Disease (PD), it was considered important to document patient's experiences of a high-quality complementary medicine clinic, to enable a greater understanding of the role of complementary medicine for PD. Routine clinical data, including a couple of questionnaires, is collected from consecutive patients with PD seen in the NDD clinic. Treatments provided are complementary to patients' usual medical treatment, and include homeopathy, herbalism, hypnosis, and healing. Patients may also be provided with self-help advice for lifestyle changes, mindfulness or meditation techniques, and dietary advice, as indicated for complementary therapy management of their condition. Consultations take place approximately every 3 months and patients complete questionnaires at the time of each consultation.

Early diagnosis of Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) and accurate patient profiling are key goals needed to tailor prompt personalized therapeutic strategies that can significantly impact disease progression and patients' quality of life. The project will validate a novel, cost-effective and quick biophotonic-based method for early and differential diagnosis of NDDs (Parkinson's disease, atypical parkinsonisms, Alzheimer's disease) and for routine clinical monitoring of NDD progression (longitudinal study). Raman spectroscopy (RS) will be applied to biochemically profile saliva and salivaderived Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) and to identify a spectroscopic biomarker for NDDs. Optimized protocols for RS will be used to concomitantly evaluate saliva and sEVs from people with NDDs and to detect salivary changes in the biochemical profile, with special focus on EV-associated components. The accuracy of the method in discriminating NDDs at different disease stages and during disease progression will be verified. A nanotechnology-based biomolecular characterization of saliva and sEV will clarify the involvement of specific pathological molecules in NDDs progression.

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is a newly emerged neuromodulation technique in recent years. It is now a mature technique in the treatment of chronic pain and is generally accepted by patients because of its non-destructive and reversible nature, few complications, no side effects, and avoidance of unnecessary surgical procedures. Combining the results of previous studies and the group's previous research, this study first proposes an innovative treatment protocol for PDS with SCS. We intend to conduct a prospective single-center open clinical trial to evaluate the improvement of orthostatic hypotension, urinary retention, sleep disturbance, dysarthria, and dysphagia in Parkinsonism (PDS) patients before and after SCS treatment, and shed new light on the treatment for PDS.

We are trying to identify factors associated with improved quality of life and fewer PD symptoms. We are attempting to identify practices, beliefs, and therapies used by individuals who report excellent quality of life, few PD symptoms, and reduced rates of progression. After agreeing to participate, we will ask participants to fill our questionnaires about their experience with PD, their health in general, along with their food intake every six months for five years.

One person in every 500 has Parkinson's and around 127,000 people are living with the condition in the UK. The aim of the study is to identify new genes that predispose or cause Parkinson's Disease or Parkinsonism. There is a pressing need to study the genetic makeup of family members both with and without Parkinson's. As families share a common genetic background, it is easier to find new Parkinson's genes by studying the genetic makeup of people with Parkinson's alongside other members of their families. We are particularly interested in studying the genetic makeup of two groups of people: 1. those who developed Parkinson's before the age of 45; and 2. those who have a family history of other relatives affected by Parkinson's. By identifying genetic factors that cause Parkinson's, we hope to understand more about the condition. Doing so will lead to the development of better diagnosis, improved disease models, and we hope in time, to the development of better treatment.

To test the feasibility of studying effects of smoking cessation with varenicline on antipsychotic drug-induced neurological side effects, we propose a 12 week pilot study of smoking cessation treatment with varenicline in 10 schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder patients who are actively smoking and have pre-existing TD while receiving stable doses of antipsychotics. Subjects will be followed after a 2 week baseline period to assess changes in smoking status and neurological symptoms using standardized rating scales. The aim is to examine clinically significant effects on antipsychotic-induced neurological side effects that may warrant further investigation.