The purpose of this project is to increase our understanding of the early state and temporal evolution of neuroplastic changes in the cortex and subthalamic nucleus (STN) of people with PD, and the relationship of these changes to the emergence and expression of PD motor and non-motor signs. Neurophysiological biomarkers derived from this work may be important for the early detection and prediction of progression of disease. They can also provide the means to assess the efficacy of interventions designed to prevent or slow disease progression.
This project will use neuroimaging (7T MRI: structural, diffusion and rest-state functional MRI), from Dr. Noam Harel's protocol IRB# STUDY00008096, and non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS: PAS. SAI) techniques to quantify structural and functional changes in brain function. The TMS experiment will use a Magstim Bistimn 2002 transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) unit and standard figure-of-eight coil (70 mm diameter) to deliver stimulation on the surface of the scalp. Stimulation will be delivered using either a single pulse or with a paired-pulse protocol (two stimuli, through the same TMS coil at inter-stimulus intervals of 50 or 80 ms). All surface EMG signals will be pre-amplified within the sensor and sent wirelessly via blue-tooth connection to a Delsys data collection system. Quantitative assessments of motor function (gait, gait initiation, reactive balance, bradykinesia, repetitive alternating movements, rigidity, stop-signal reaction time), and neuropsychological function will used to assess behavioral status at baseline and 30-36 months later.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
50
This project will use neuroimaging (7T MRI: structural, diffusion and rest-state functional MRI) and non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS: PAS. SAI) techniques to quantify structural and functional changes in brain function.
Quantitative assessments of motor function (gait, gait initiation, reactive balance, bradykinesia, repetitive alternating movements, rigidity, stop-signal reaction time), and neuropsychological function
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
RECRUITINGChange in volume of Subthalamic Nucleus
The volume of the subthalamic nucleus is assessed using MRI and reported in millimeters cubed (mm\^3).
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in fractional Anisotropy of Subthalamic Nucleus
Fractional anisotropy, measured using MRI, is a unit-less value between zero and one that describes the degree of anisotropy of water diffusion in a specified brain area. Higher values indicate a greater degree of anisotropy, while a score of zero indicates isotropic diffusion.
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in cortico-STN Connectivity
Cortico-Subthalamic nucleus connectivity is measured using MRI and reported as a z score (unitless).
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in paired Associative Stimulation-Motor Evoked Potential (PAS-MEP)
Motor evoked potential is measured as the amplitude of change in target muscle electrical activity following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and reported in units of millivolts (mV).
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in Mattis Dementia Rating Scale 2 (DRS-2)
The DRS-2 consists of 24 items, rated on a scale from 0 to 6. Item scores are combined into five subscales: attention (8 items), initiation/perseveration (11 items), construction (6 items), conceptualization ( 6 items), and memory (5 items). These five subscale scores are summed to calculate a total score ranging from from 0 to 144 points, with lower scores indicating worse performance due to dementia.
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in Rey Complex Figure and Matrix Reasoning of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - IV
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
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Change in Stroop Color Word Test
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Verbal Fluency Subtest
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months
Change in Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised (BVMT-R)
Time frame: Baseline, 30-36 months