An observational study in Dementia and Movement Disorder, sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 120 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-23.
Sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA) · Observational
Background:
There are two basic types of movement disorders. Some cause excessive movement, some cause slowness or lack of movement. Some of these are caused by mutations in genes. On the other hand, dementia is a condition of declining mental abilities, especially memory. Dementia can occur at any age but becomes more frequent with age. Researchers want to study the genes of families with a history of movement disorders or dementia. They hope to find a genetic cause of these disorders. This can help them better understand and treat the diseases. This study will not be limited to a particular disorder, but will study all movement disorders or dementias in general. This study will perform genetic testing to identify the genetic causes of movement disorders and dementia. Today, genetic testing can be done to analyze multiple genes at the same time. This increases the chances of finding the genetic cause of movement disorders and dementias.
Objectives:
To learn more about movement disorders and dementia, their causes, and treatments.
Eligibility:
Adults and children with a movement disorder or dementia, and their family members.
Healthy volunteers.
Design:
Participants will be screened with medical history and blood tests. Some will have physical exam.
Participants will give a blood sample by a needle in the arm. This can be done at the clinic, by their own doctor, or at home. Alternatively, a saliva sample may be provided if a blood sample cannot be obtained.
Participants can opt to send an extra blood sample to a repository for future study. Genetic test will be done on these samples. The samples will be coded. The key to the code will remain at NIA. Only NIA investigators will have access to the code key. Participants can request to receive results of the tests.
Participation is generally a single visit. Participants may be called back for extra
Objective
The objective of this study is to ascertain individuals with a clinical diagnosis of a movement disorder or dementia, their affected and unaffected family members, and unrelated, healthy individuals (to provide control samples); to characterize their phenotypes; and to identify and further characterize genetic contributions to etiology by collecting blood samples, and/or saliva samples on these individuals for DNA and induced Pluripotent stem (iPs) cell line preparation.
Study population
Up to 10,000 persons with a diagnosis of a movement disorder or dementia, 1,000 asymptomatic persons who are family members/related to individuals with a diagnosis of movement disorder or dementia, and 1,000 unrelated, healthy control individuals.
Design
This study usually requires one outpatient visit to the NIH Clinical Center. Participant visits may also take place when they are inpatient at the NIH Clinical Center. Those who are unable to travel to NIH may have study procedures performed at a site near their
home, such as hospital facilities, private physician offices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, local community centers, or participant homes. Participants will undergo medical record review, a physical examination and biospecimen collection including
blood draw and/or saliva collection at the enrollment visit.
Additional visits may be scheduled to collect additional phenotype information or to collect additional biospecimens.
Outcome measures
The primary outcome measure of this study is the identification of pathogenic genetic variants that are causative or that alter susceptibility/risk for the movement disorder or dementia that the patient has been diagnosed with. These disease-causing variants are often inherited.
Participants with confirmed or suspected movement disorder or dementia diagnosis and their affected and unaffected family members will be potential candidates for the study, well as unrelated, healthy individuals (known as control samples. Where there is no logical upper limit, we plan to enroll 12,000 study subjects (10,000 patients, 1,000 asymptomatic family members, 1,000 neurological normal controls) for this study.
For Patients:
For unaffected family members of patients:
For unrelated healthy control individuals:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA
For patients:
-An identifiable, non-genetic etiology for the movement disorder or dementia, such as a specific environmental exposure, birth injury, metabolic disorder, or brain infection such as encephalitis
For all participants:
Participants with confirmed or suspected movement disorder or dementia diagnosis and their affected and unaffected family members will be potential candidates for the study, well as unrelated, healthy individuals (known as control samples.
We plan to enroll 12,000 study subjects (10,000 patients, 1,000 asymptomatic family members, 1,000 neurological normal controls) for this study
Finding genetic cause of disease
Causative for the movement disorder or dementia that the patient has been diagnosed with.
Time frame: Identification of pathogenic genetic variants
Plan to share: Undecided — The NIA IRP is discussing the plan to make IPD available. A final decision has not been made.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
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National Institute on Aging (NIA)