Measuring Parkinson's Disease With Tear Fluid

University of Southern California205 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to assess whether tear secretion in patients with Parkinson's disease will be altered to exhibit a characteristic or diagnostic biomarker profile, that will be reflected in changes in the protein composition of tear fluid, which can be measured relatively easily, cost-effectively, and non-invasively. Tear fluid samples will be collected from Parkinson's patients, and through biochemical assays, the profile of proteins in tears will be characterized and compared to that from control subjects. The profiles will be analyzed with respect to any differences between Parkinson's patients and control subjects. If differences appear, the levels of these potential biomarkers in Parkinson's patients will be compared to the severity of their disease.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

205

Conditions

Idiopathic Parkinson Disease

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 35 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * established Parkinson's Disease for at least 6 months * Healthy controls without neurological illness Exclusion Criteria: * currently taking anti-cholinergic medication * dementia * have an exposure to neuroleptic medications other than Quetiapine or Clozapine in the 6 months prior to screening * have an active eye infection or have had eye surgery within 3 months prior to screening * control subjects will be excluded if they have a history of neurological disease * PD subjects will be excluded if they have an atypical Parkinsonian syndrome

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Tear protein composition to discriminate between participants with Parkinson's disease and healthy controls

4 potential biomarkers will be evaluated in collected tear fluid and will be followed longitudinally for 3-4 visits

Time frame: up to 12 months