Purpose

Study Purpose: Parkinson's disease leads to severally impaired motor control. The purpose of this study is to better understand and analyze the characteristics of arm muscle activity while doing some reaching tasks and of leg muscles while walking. This will allow the investigators to improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying the motor impairments in Parkinson's disease.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 80 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

for Parkinson's volunteers: 1. Male and female, age 18-80 2. Motor symptoms only on one side of the body 3. No use of dopaminergic replacement therapy or other medication related to PD

Exclusion Criteria

for Parkinson's volunteers: 1. Cognitive impairments that may interfere with understanding instructions as needed during the performance of the study (MMSE<23) 2. Subjects who are unable to perform arm reaching movements 3. Self-report of any condition that could affect walking 4. No fractures or skin lesions in the upper or lower limbs 5. Infectious diseases requiring contact precautions 6. Subjects with contraindications to MRI cannot participate (i.e., implanted metal including pacemakers, cerebral spinal fluid shunts, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, ear implants or metal/foreign objects in the eyes and those with a history of claustrophobia) 7. Pregnancy: If the possibility of pregnancy of a female participant cannot be excluded by: 1) surgical history (e.g., tubal ligation or hysterectomy) or 2) post menopausal status with a minimum of 1 year without menses, then a pregnancy test by stat serum testing must be performed on site the morning of any PET visit and the negative result is required prior to the administration or any radiopharmaceutical 8. Substance abuse within the past 2 years as it may alter neurotransmitter function 9. Active hematological, renal, pulmonary, endocrine or hepatic disorders 10. Evidence of cortical infarcts or strategically placed lacunar infarct (e.g. dorsal medial nucleus of thalamus) 11. Active cancer, metabolic encephalopathy, infection 12. Active cardiovascular disease, stroke, congestive heart failure 13. Diagnosis of MCI or dementia Inclusion criteria for healthy volunteers: 1. Male and female, age 18-80 2. Age and gender-matched to PD patients 3. No use of dopaminergic replacement therapy or other medication related to PD Exclusion criteria for healthy volunteers: 1. Cognitive impairments that may interfere with understanding instructions as needed during the performance of the study (MMSE<23) 2. Subjects who are unable to perform arm reaching movements 3. Self-report of any condition that could affect walking 4. No fractures or skin lesions in the upper or lower limbs 5. Infectious diseases requiring contact precautions 6. Diagnosis of MCI or dementia

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Non-Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Screening
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Parkinson's subjects
The participants with Parkinson's disease should have symptoms only on one side of the body, and they should not be taking any dopamine replacement medication such as levodopa or dopamine agonists. Surface EMG, MRI and PET scan will be performed at baseline.
  • Other: Surface EMG, MRI and PET Scan
    It will consist of two assessment sessions; one where muscle activity of the arms as well as movement characteristics will be assessed during a reaching task; and another where muscle activity of the legs and movement characteristics will be assessed while walking on a treadmill. Clinical evaluations will also be performed. In addition, individuals with Parkinson's disease will undergo brain scans at Massachusetts General Hospital to examine whether there are any relationships between muscle activity and brain function.
Active Comparator
Control subjects
Participants not affected by neurological disorders. Surface EMG will be performed at baseline.
  • Other: Surface EMG
    It will consist of two assessment sessions; one where muscle activity of the arms as well as movement characteristics will be assessed during a reaching task; and another where muscle activity of the legs and movement characteristics will be assessed while walking on a treadmill. Clinical evaluations will also be performed.

More Details

Status
Terminated
Sponsor
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Study Contact

Detailed Description

More details: A total of 20 participants with Parkinson's disease and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls will be included in this study. The participants with Parkinson's disease should have symptoms only on one side of the body, and they should not be taking any dopamine replacement medication such as levodopa or dopamine agonists. The study will take place at the Motion Analysis Laboratory of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Massachusetts. It will consist of two assessment sessions; one where muscle activity of the arms as well as movement characteristics will be assessed during a reaching task; and another where muscle activity of the legs and movement characteristics will be assessed while walking on a treadmill. Clinical evaluations will also be performed. In addition, individuals with Parkinson's disease will undergo brain scans at Massachusetts General Hospital to examine whether there are any relationships between muscle activity and brain function.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.