Parkinson's Disease clinical trials at University of California Health

The objective of this randomized, surgically controlled, double-blinded, Phase 2 study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AAV2-GDNF delivered to the putamen in subjects with moderate Parkinson's Disease.

This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 study will evaluate the efficacy of intravenous prasinezumab (RO7046015/PRX002) versus placebo over 52 weeks in participants with early Parkinson's Disease (PD) who are untreated or treated with monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors since baseline. The study will consist of three parts: a 52-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment period (Part 1) after which eligible participants will continue into an all-participants-on-treatment blinded dose extension for an additional 52 weeks (Part 2). Participants who complete Part 2 (including the 12-week treatment-free follow up visit assessing long term safety and efficacy of RO7046015) will be offered participation in Part 3 open-label extension (all-participants-on-RO7046015-treatment) for an additional 260 weeks.

The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of adaptive DBS (aDBS) for Parkinson's disease.

This is a single-center phase I clinical study aiming to improve gait functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) by using adaptive neurostimulation to the pallidum. The investigators will use a bidirectional deep brain stimulation device with sensing and stimulation capabilities to 1) decode the physiological signatures of gait and gait adaptation by recording neural activities from the motor cortical areas and the globus pallidus during natural walking and a gait adaptation task, and 2) develop an adaptive deep brain stimulation (DBS) paradigm to selectively stimulate the pallidum during different phases of the gait cycle and measure improvements in gait parameters. This is the first exploration of network dynamics of gait in PD using chronically implanted cortical and subcortical electrodes. In addition to providing insights into a fundamental process, the proposed therapy will deliver personalized neurostimulation based on individual physiological biomarkers to enhance locomotor skills in patients with PD. Ten patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease undergoing evaluation for DBS implantation will be enrolled in this single treatment arm study.

This study will investigate cortical stimulation to treat mood and behavioral symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients.

This is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active controlled clinical Study. Following a screening period, eligible subjects will be enrolled to an open-label oral IR-LD/CD adjustment period; then an open-label ND0612 conversion period; then after optimization periods subjects will be randomized to receive either ND0612 or its matching Placebo with IR-LD/CD. Subjects can continue to an optional open-label extension period.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating illness that has a growing impact on Veterans. One of the most disabling symptoms is depression, which is common in PD and linked to poor quality of life and higher risk of suicide. Unfortunately, there is a lack of effective treatments for depression in PD. Ketamine, which has rapid and potent antidepressant effects, is a potential option but has not been tested in Veterans with PD. Studies in rodents show that ketamine may not only improve depression in PD, it may target two of the underlying drivers of the disease: (1) reduced neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt and remodel itself; and (2) elevated inflammation. The investigators are conducting a randomized, placebo-controlled study to examine if a dose of intravenous (IV) ketamine improves depression in Veterans with PD. The investigators will also examine ketamine's effects on neuroplasticity and inflammation, which will help us understand how ketamine works in PD and if it can be a useful treatment for Veterans with the disease. This study will lay groundwork for a larger clinical trial across multiple VA sites.

The clinical phenotype of Parkinson's disease (PD) is quite variable, as is the response to and side effects from medications. While many patients respond to carbidopa/levodopa early on, motor fluctuations and dyskinesias can become a problem as the condition progresses, causing significant impairment in function and quality of life. The gut microbiome is of increasing interest in PD, potentially contributing to pathophysiology and clinical phenotype. Furthermore, gut bacteria are capable of metabolizing levodopa, which may decrease its ability to reach the central nervous system and could explain the variable effect seen clinically. Altering the population of drug-metabolizing bacteria could improve the clinical symptoms of PD and the benefit seen with medications. The investigators hypothesize that the gut microbiome in people with PD correlates with their phenotypic characteristics, which can be improved with targeting the microbiome through dietary or therapeutic interventions. The investigators propose a two-part clinical trial. First, a cross-sectional analysis will correlate the microbiome profile with (a) the clinical phenotype of PD and (b) medication response. Second, a randomized, controlled trial, will evaluate the effect of microbiome manipulation on clinical phenotype and medication response. The investigators plan to reduce the level of bacteria through antibiotic use, resetting the potentially disadvantageous microbiome population. Outcomes will include changes in clinical symptoms, alterations in the the microbiome, and changes in serum markers of inflammation. This thorough characterization will broaden our understanding of the gut-brain axis significantly in PD in clinically relevant ways that have yet to be explored.

This is an exploratory pilot study to identify neural correlates of specific motor signs in Parkinson's disease (PD) and dystonia, using a novel totally implanted neural interface that senses brain activity as well as delivering therapeutic stimulation. Parkinson's disease and isolated dystonia patients will be implanted unilaterally or bilaterally with a totally internalized bidirectional neural interface, Medtronic Summit RC+S. This study includes three populations: ten PD patients undergoing deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), ten PD patients with a globus pallidus (GPi) target and five dystonia patients. All groups will test a variety of strategies for feedback-controlled deep brain stimulation, and all patients will undergo a blinded, small pilot clinical trial of closed-loop stimulation for thirty days.

The study's aim is to better understand motivation and value-based decision making in Parkinson's patients through neurophysiology using Medtronic's Percept PC DBS device.