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CompletedNCT03782753Updated Jun 27, 2023

Molecular Pathology and Neuronal Networks in LRRK2 Parkinson's Disease

An observational study in Parkinson Disease, PARK8, Parkinson Disease and Idiopathic Parkinson Disease, sponsored by King's College London. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-06-27.

Sponsored by King's College London · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
59
Ages
30 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized clinically by bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying neuronal degeneration in PD and currently, no treatment is available to halt disease progression in PD.

The pathophysiological characterisation of phenomena occurring in the time window between the pathological start of the disease and the onset of motor symptoms is crucial to develop potential neuroprotective agents.

Several genes have been discovered providing important insights on the pathogenesis of PD. Mutations of Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are associated with 2-5% of all PD cases in North American Caucasians. LRRK2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease-8 (PARK8) gene, which is associated with an increased risk of PD.

Clinical and digital biomarkers, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, with specific radioligands, provide invaluable insights to help understand and characterise disease pathophysiology.

The investigators aim to characterize molecular phenomena underlying LRRK2 PD with the hope of providing further insights into possible mechanisms taking place in PD and to help identify targets for disease-modifying therapeutics.

02

Conditions studied

  • Parkinson Disease, PARK8
  • Parkinson Disease
  • Idiopathic Parkinson Disease

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Keywords

  • Parkinson Disease
  • LRRK2
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In context

Parkinson Disease

4,583 studies on the registry are indexed under Parkinson Disease; 1,097 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 59 is below the median of 97 across 1,081 observational studies indexed under Parkinson Disease.

Browse Parkinson Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

King's College London is the lead sponsor of 519 studies on the registry; 126 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
30 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

LRRK2 PD patients, idiopathic PD patients and healthy controls.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

All groups

  • Women of child-bearing potential must use protocol-defined contraceptive measures and must have a negative β-hCG test at screening. For sexually active subjects (except females of non-childbearing potential), condoms should be used in addition to other birth control methods during the study, for 15 days after the last dose of investigational drug, and for 3 months after the last administration of PET or SPECT ligands. All male subjects must agree to refrain from donating sperm during the study, for 15 days following the last dose of investigational drug, and for 3 months after the last administration of PET or SPECT ligands. It is important that male subjects not impregnate others while in the study.
  • Adequate visual and auditory acuity to complete the psychological testing.

Idiopathic PD group

  • Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease meeting the Movement Disorder Society Clinical Diagnostic Criteria (i.e. not induced by drugs or other diseases or carriers of PD risk genes such as LRRK2, SNCA, PARK2 etc.).
  • Hoehn and Yahr scale stage 1 or 2.
  • Patients who are drug-naïve (never been treated with dopamine agonists or levodopa) or on dopamine replacement therapy.
  • Patients who have received the diagnosis of idiopathic PD within three years for drug-naïve patients or within eight years for patients on dopamine replacement therapy.

LRRK2 PD group

  • Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease meeting the Movement Disorder Society Clinical Diagnostic Criteria and genetic confirmation of being carriers of LRRK2 PD risk genes, diagnosed after the age of 30 years.
  • Hoehn and Yahr scale stage 1 or 2.
  • Patients who are drug-naïve (never been treated with dopamine agonists or levodopa) or on dopamine replacement therapy.
  • Patients who have received the diagnosis of idiopathic PD within three years for drug-naïve patients or within eight years for patients on dopamine replacement therapy.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who had previous surgery for PD (including but not limited to deep brain stimulation [DBS] or cell transplantation).
  • Patients who are treated with duodopa or apomorphine.
  • Patients taking serotonin acting drugs such as antidepressants (i.e. tricyclic or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors etc.)
  • Patients taking drugs acting on SV2A such as antiepileptics (i.e. levetiracetam or brivaracetam etc.)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Patients with current or a recent history of drug or alcohol abuse/dependence.
  • Patients who have other neurological disorders and known intracranial co-morbidities such as stroke, haemorrhage, space-occupying lesions.
  • Presence of any clinically significant medical condition (including cardiovascular, respiratory, cerebrovascular, hematological, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, or other disease) that, based on the judgment of the investigator, is clinically unstable, is likely to deteriorate during the course of the study, could put the patient at risk because of participation in the study, could affect the subject's ability to complete the study, or could influence the study results.
  • History of suicidal behavior or active suicidal ideation.
  • Within 1 year prior to screen or between screen and baseline (Day -1), any of the following: myocardial infarction; hospitalization for congestive heart failure; hospitalization for, or symptoms of, unstable angina; or syncope not related to PD.
  • History or presence of renal disease or impaired renal function.
  • Clinically important infection (e.g., chronic, persistent, or acute infection) within 30 days prior to screen or between screen and baseline (Day -1).
  • History of cancer within the last 5 years, with the exception of nonmetastatic basal cell carcinoma of the skin.
  • Clinically significant blood clotting or bleeding disorder, including clinically significant abnormal findings in laboratory assessments of coagulation or hematology.
  • Use of antipsychotic medication within 3 months prior to screen or between screen and baseline (Day -1).
  • Use of any anticoagulant within 30 days prior to baseline PET scan.
  • Use of any oral corticosteroid within 30 days prior to baseline PET scan.
  • Use of metoclopramide within 30 days prior to baseline (Day -1).
  • Use of any thyroid medication within 30 days prior to baseline (Day -1).
  • Regular use (e.g., taken > 3 days/week) of narcotic pain medications within 30 days prior to baseline (Day -1).
  • Presence of any of the following MRI contraindications: pacemaker; cardiac defibrillator; spinal cord or vagus nerve stimulator; aneurysm clip; artificial heart valve; recent coronary or carotid stent; ear implant; CSF shunt; other implanted medical device (e.g., Swan-Ganz catheter, insulin pump); or metal fragments or foreign objects in the eyes, skin, or body.
  • Negative Allen test in both hands, unless the brachial artery is used for arterial cannulation.
  • Claustrophobia and history of back pain that makes prolonged laying on the PET or MRI scanner intolerable.
  • Initiation or change in pharmacologic therapy for symptoms of PD within 30 days prior to screen or between screen and baseline (Day -1).

In addition, the following are exclusionary for subjects participating in CSF sampling:

- Any spinal malformations or other aspects (e.g., tattoos) or other clinical findings (e.g., papilledema seen with ophthalmoscopy) that may complicate or contraindicate lumbar puncture, as judged by the investigator.

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
59 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Group A

    25 LRRK2-PD patients

  • Group B

    25 idiopathic PD patients

  • Group C

    25 HC subjects

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in serotonergic transmission in the ventral and dorsal raphe nuclei, and in raphe projection areas, in LRRK2-PD compared to idiopathic PD.

    The study's main outcome measure is changes in serotonergic neurotransmission within specific brain regions. This will be assessed with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the readioligand 11C-labeled 3-amino-4 -(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)benzonitrile (\[11C\]DASB).

    Time frame: One year

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Study locations

1 site
  • King's College London
    London, United Kingdom
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 27, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03782753
Collaborators
GlaxoSmithKline
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 20, 2018
Start date
Feb 15, 2019
Primary completion
Jan 14, 2021
Completion
Jun 23, 2023
Last update
Jun 27, 2023

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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