Survey into ‘sense of presence’ symptoms in Parkinson's Disease v1.2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A survey into the influence of dopaminergic drug exposure on ‘sense of presence’ symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
IRAS ID
241437
Contact name
Paul Shotbolt
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 22 days
Research summary
A sense of presence is the feeling that someone is present nearby, when no one is actually there. They may be experienced by individuals during grieving; times of stress; and in a variety of neurological conditions, including having been reported in Parkinson’s disease. There is a lack of research investigating the occurrence of sense of presence symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Including any specific research into the influence of dopaminergic drugs on the existence of sense of presence symptoms. Furthermore, early identification of minor psychotic symptoms such as sense of presence may represent a precursor to hallucinations and delusions as the disease advances. This may suggest potential to be used as a clinical biomarker of disease stage and future progression. With this in mind, the current study aims to survey patients with Parkinson’s disease, specifically enquiring about the influence of dopaminergic drug exposure on the frequency of sense of presence symptoms. The research question being addressed is: is there an association between sense of presence symptoms in Parkinson’s disease and dopaminergic drug exposure? Fifty patients, taken from King’s College Hospital Neuropsychiatric outpatient clinic (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust), will take part in a short questionnaire which should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0842
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion