Dysautonomia clinical trials at University of California Health
2 research studies open to eligible people
Blood Pressure Effects on Cognition and Brain Blood Flow in PD
open to eligible people ages 50 years and up
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Besides causing symptoms that impair movement, PD also causes non-motor symptoms, such as problems thinking and orthostatic hypotension (OH), i.e., low blood pressure (BP) when standing. About one-third of people with PD have OH, which can cause sudden, temporary symptoms while upright, including lightheadedness, dizziness, and fainting. People with PD and OH can also experience problems thinking that happen only while upright and not while sitting - this can occur without other symptoms, such as feeling dizzy or faint. However, the level of low BP that can affect thinking remains unknown, and no guidelines exist for treating OH when it happens without symptoms. This is significant because OH could be a treatable risk factor for thinking problems in PD, but OH is often not treated if people do not report obvious symptoms. This project's goal is to determine how BP affects brain function in PD. The proposed experiments will measure BP and brain blood flow continuously in real-time using innovative wearable technology. Persons with PD with OH and without OH will undergo repeated cognitive tests while supine (lying down) and while upright. I will study the associations between BP, thinking abilities, and brain blood flow, and will compare groups with and without OH. These findings could be important because if a certain level of BP correlates with thinking abilities, then treating OH in PD may prevent thinking problems, which would improve health-related quality of life and reduce disability and healthcare costs.
at UCSD
Mindfulness in Post Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) Dysautonomia
open to eligible females ages 18-54
The current pilot study will recruit participants experiencing new, returning, or ongoing symptoms related to COVID-19 illness for at least four weeks after being first infected with SARS-CoV-2. All participants will attend a virtual 6-week course entitled Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) created, hosted and led by expert facilitators from the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This intervention will consist of a mix of lecture, practice, group feedback, and discussion regarding mindfulness. Mindfulness is the mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present while acknowledging and accepting any feelings, thoughts, or bodily sensations. The research team will collect self-reported measures of mental health symptoms, physical health symptoms, and demographic information before and after participants attend MAPs. Objective health measures will also be collected by the research team including an active stand test, a 6-minute walk, and a blood sample.
at UCLA
Our lead scientists for Dysautonomia research studies include Jeffrey J. Hsu, MD, PhD Katherine Longardner, MD.
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