Effect of Levodopa on Postural Motor Learning in Parkinson Disease

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Completed

Conditions: Parkinson Disease

Treatments: Behavioral: Postural perturbation

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT02239978

N1480-M

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of whether and how levodopa (a common anti-Parkinson disease medication) alters postural motor learning in people with Parkinson disease. A secondary goal is to assess whether motor cortical excitability, measured via Transcranial magnetic stimulation, is related to postural motor learning.

Participants with Parkinson disease will complete between 50 and 100 postural perturbations (via support surface translations), ON and OFF their dopamine replacement therapy (i.e. levodopa). Adaptation of responses to these perturbations will be tracked. Participants will also undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation to capture cortical excitability of the brain (in particular the motor cortex). Cortical excitability will be correlated to adaptation of stepping (i.e. postural motor learning) ON and OFF levodopa. Investigators will also capture postural motor learning and cortical excitability in age-matched healthy adults.

Investigators hypothesize that dopamine will have a negative effect on postural motor learning, and the cortical excitability will be correlated to postural motor learning.

Enrollment: 42 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 90 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Between 18 and 90 years of age.
• Individuals with Parkinson Disease
• Healthy adults age-matched to PD participants
• Participants with PD will be currently taking dopamine replacement (i.e. Levodopa)

Exclusion criteria

All subjects exclusion criteria:

• Deep brain stimulation
• Recent (within 6 months) orthopedic injuries influencing standing or balance
• Inability to stand independently

Transcranial magnetic stimulation exclusion criteria (for the subset of individuals taking part in the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation portion of the study):

• History of epilepsy or currently taking any epileptic medication,
• History of seizures
• Family history of epilepsy or seizures

Trial design

42 participants in 2 patient groups

Parkinsons disease

Description:

Individuals with Parkinsons disease

Treatment:

Behavioral: Postural perturbation

Control

Description:

Age-matched healthy adults

Treatment:

Behavioral: Postural perturbation