Early markers of PD and MSA in REM-sleep behaviour disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A multimodal imaging study to improve early diagnostic accuracy in patients with Parkinsonian disorders and REM sleep behaviour disorder
IRAS ID
252916
Contact name
Nicola Pavese
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle Joint Research Office
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Despite Parkinson’s Disease (PD) being first described in 1817 we still know relatively little regarding the underlying disease causing mechanisms and well still do not have a cure. The situation with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), another form of Parkinsonism, is even more dire. In the early stages, MSA can be indistinguishable from PD. However, this is a distinct, more rapid neurodegenerative condition and we do our patients a disservice through initial misdiagnosis.
Currently, the development of new therapies for these conditions faces several major obstacles, including inability to detect the very early phases of the disease, when the first brain abnormalities occur, and the lack of reliable disease indicators (‘biomarkers’) that are also sensitive to the distinct disease progression and can be used to test the effect of new medications.
In this study, we plan to utilise new advances in brain imaging techniques in order to identify biomarkers relevant to the diagnosis of PD and MSA. We will also investigate a cohort of patients diagnosed with idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD). Research has identified RBD as a significantly ‘at risk’ group of patients who go on to develop Parkinsonism, including PD and MSA. We will follow these patients for 2 years or until clinical conversion to PD or MSA. By comparing our findings across the three patient groups we hope to reveal early biomarkers for PD and MSA, which if identified in the RBD population, will represent the earliest brain changes associated with each condition. The identification of such novel biomarkers will not only predict a patient’s likelihood of developing parkinsonism and disease subtype they may develop, but also the rate of disease progression. This would have important implications for decisions regarding treatment and management strategies, and in the future identify patients who would benefit from curative treatments.REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/2123
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion