Investigations of Dementia in Parkinson Disease

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to use a brain imaging method called Pittsburgh B (PIB) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Vesicular Cholinergic Transport (VAT) PET to determine dementia subtypes in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). The ultimate goal of this project is to be able to identify individuals with PD who are at risk of developing dementia, and to distinguish the underlying cause of dementia.

Condition

  • Parkinsons

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 50 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • PD patients must exhibit three of the following cardinal signs: rest tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, or postural instability; or two of these features with one of the first three displaying asymmetry.

Exclusion Criteria

  • history of head trauma, major neurological or psychiatric diseases other than Parkinson disease and dementia, e.g. stroke, multiple sclerosis, depression or schizophrenia. - severe systemic diseases. - inability to lie still for 90 minutes. - metallic implants, pacemakers, or any other contraindication to MRI. - refusal to consent to brain donation.

Study Design

Phase
Study Type
Observational
Observational Model
Case-Control
Time Perspective
Prospective

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Parkinsons Disease Individuals with Parkinsons Disease
  • Radiation: PiB and VAT
    There is no intervention for this study. The PiB and VAT are used during the PET procedures to help to identify any excessive abnormal proteins in the brain.
Healthy Controls Individuals without Parkinsons Disease
  • Radiation: PiB and VAT
    There is no intervention for this study. The PiB and VAT are used during the PET procedures to help to identify any excessive abnormal proteins in the brain.

Recruiting Locations

Washington University in St. Louis and nearby locations

Washington University in St. Louis
St Louis 4407066, Missouri 4398678 63110
Contact:
Susan Donovan, BSN
314-362-6026
donovan@wustl.edu

More Details

NCT ID
NCT02763683
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Washington University School of Medicine

Study Contact

Andrea Slavik, RN, BSN
314 273 8313
andreaslavik@wustl.edu

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to use a brain imaging method called PIB PET and VAT PET to determine dementia subtypes in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). The ultimate goal of this project is to be able to identify individuals with PD who are at risk of developing dementia, and to distinguish the underlying cause of dementia. The investigators will be including both PD and normal subjects in this study. This a long term study and we are considering including a total of 320 participants in this protocol.