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Misfolded Proteins in the Skin of People With Parkinson's Disease and Other Parkinsonism

Assessing Skin Biomarkers for Preclinical Diagnosis of PD and Non-PD Parkinsonism

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04518059
Enrollment
184
Registered
2020-08-19
Start date
2019-03-12
Completion date
2025-05-31
Last updated
2025-07-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Corticobasal Degeneration, Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Multiple System Atrophy, Parkinson Disease, Parkinsonism, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Keywords

Parkinson disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, biomarker, parkinsonism, alpha-synuclein

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether identification of misfolded proteins in the skin will help to determine what sort of parkinsonism someone has. We seek to demonstrate whether someone has a synucleinopathy such as Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), or dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB), as opposed to a tauopathy such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) or corticobasal degeneration (CBD) or no parkinsonism at all (control).

Detailed description

This is a clinical research study for patients with parkinsonism, including Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, multiple system atrophy, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Parkinsonism can be difficult to diagnose, especially in the early stages of the disease. Skin punch biopsy could be a useful and way to diagnose and measure the severity of these conditions. Given that there currently is no proven way to determine that someone has a synucleinopathy such as PD and not a tauopathy, this is a novel study that may lead to better ways to diagnose people with parkinsonism. The purpose of the study is to identify changes on a skin punch biopsy, in which small samples of skin are removed and sent to the laboratory for examination. We are seeking to measure the amount of misfolded alpha-synuclein in someone's skin. Participation will last between 1 and 2 years and will involve between 2 and 4 visits. Visits will include a physical examination, questionnaires, a memory test, blood draws and saliva collection, and a single visit for skin punch biopsies. We will also be looking to enroll volunteers to serve as controls, who do not have any neurological illness.

Interventions

An anesthetic medication is injected to numb the areas of skin and two samples of skin are obtained from punch biopsy.

Sponsors

Case Western Reserve University
CollaboratorOTHER
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
CollaboratorNIH
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
CollaboratorNIH
Banner Health
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Bologna
CollaboratorOTHER
Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí
CollaboratorOTHER
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 89 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age 21 years old and age \<90 years of age at the time of the baseline visit 1 * Age of diagnosis at least 40 years old for PD, DLB, and PSP and at least 30 years old for MSA * A confirmed diagnosis of PD, PSP, CBD, MSA, DLB, or healthy control * Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) \> 10 at the outset of the study

Exclusion criteria

* Age 90 or above * Allergy to local anesthetic * History of deep brain stimulation (DBS) or other brain surgery prior to Visit 1 * For PD or DLB diagnoses, any other neurodegenerative or central nervous system process that would interfere with examination * For PD or DLB, history of negative DATscan * Use of investigational drugs or devices within 60 days prior to baseline visit (except for dietary supplements) * In control subjects, family history of a neurodegenerative disease in a first degree or second degree blood relative * History of schizophrenia * History of antipsychotic medication use or exposure in controls or history of antipsychotic medication leading to parkinsonism (drug induced parkinsonism) in the parkinsonism group * Blood clotting disorder * On multiple (more than one) antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant blood thinner medications in combination (except for aspirin if it can be safely held for 1 week) * Any other medical, psychiatric, or cognitive illness that in the investigator's opinion would interfere with cooperation or ability to undergo the study procedures.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) and modified H&Y ScoresBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentZero to 5 parkinsonism rating scale score. Lower score is better.
Amount of alpha-synuclein in the skinCross-sectional at baselineAlpha-synuclein will be measured by RT-QuIC and sPMCA
Change in PSPRS measures of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) severity in people with PSPBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentQuestionnaire and examination. Lower scores are better.
Change in UMSARS measures of multiple system atrophy (MSA) severity in people with MSABaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentQuestionnaire and examination. Lower scores are better.
Change in Schwab and England (S&E) ScoreBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessment0% to 100% rating scale score. Higher score is better.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in blood pressure with orthostatic postureBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentBlood pressure from lying down to sitting to standing. Smaller drop in blood pressure is better.
Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)Baseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentZero to 30 cognitive rating scale score. Higher score is better.
Change in PDQ-39Baseline, optional 1 year assessment, and optional 2 year assessment39 item health status questionnaire. Lower is better.
Amount of alpha-synuclein in the bloodBaseline, optional 1 year assessment, and optional 2 year assessmentAlpha-synuclein will be measured in the blood sample
Change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)Baseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessmentZero to 24 sleepiness rating scale score. Lower score is better.
Change in Hamilton depression scaleBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessment17 item depression rating scale score. Lower score is better.
Change in Hamilton anxiety scaleBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessment14 item depression rating scale score. Lower score is better.
Change in REM Behavior Disorder QuestionnaireBaseline, 1 year, and optional 2 year assessment10 item depression rating scale score. Lower score is better.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026