If You Have Parkinson’s Symptoms, You Could Help In Las Vegas Study
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health in Las Vegas is conducting a new study and looking for participants.
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health has been in Las Vegas, one of their four locations, for 13 years. The clinic provides their patients diagnosis and ongoing treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. And it is also passionate about ongoing research and education.
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health has recently joined the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative. PPMI is an observation study that follows people recently, or not yet, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The goal of the study is to find and validate what are called progression “markers”, or biomarkers, of Parkinson’s.
While there are many viable treatments for the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, little is known about the cause or progression of the disease itself. Doctors and also scientists hope to learn from this study how the disease begins and changes over time. The ultimate mission being to better diagnose and treat Parkinson’s.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is a primary sponsor of this initiative. They recently launched an expansion of the study to facilitate more data collection. Currently, there are 51 PPMI study sites worldwide.
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health in Las Vegas invites people in the community to participate in the local study. Participants should be at least 30 years old. Additionally, participants should be experiencing Parkinson’s symptoms but not have a diagnosis. Symptoms include tremors, loss of smell, trouble focusing, sleep problems and depression. Those with an official diagnosis who are not currently taking medication for it are also welcome to apply for the study.
If you are interested in joining the study or getting more information, visit ClevelandClinic.org/NevadaResearch. Or call 702-483-6000.
Dr. Zoltan Mari is the Director of the Nevada Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health. He is also the Principal Investigator for the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative. Dr. Mari joined Wendy Rush on Talking Solutions to speak about the study.
The original air date for this interview was June 4, 2023.
