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NCT Number: NCT07647913

Rhythm Psychophysics With Parkinson's Patients

The goal of this interventional study is to understand how the rhythmic abilities of individuals in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease (PD) are impacted by their levels of dopamine. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does dopamine shelter the ability to generate and maintain a regular tapping rhythm in the presence of disrupting sensory information? * Does dopamine allow the adaptation of tapping speed in the presence of changing sensory information? * Is the engagement of the motor system useful to improve the detection of changes in the tempo of sensory information?

Participants will be asked to perform a battery of simple rhythmic tasks On and Off medication to evaluate the effect of dopamine on their rhythmic skills.

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Key information

Conditions

Parkinson Disease(PD) Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Parkinson Disease Parkinsonian Disorders Synucleinopathies

Age range

40 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Parkinson's Disease diagnostic
  • Stage 1 or 2 Hoenh-Yahr scale
  • Taking immediate-release Levodopa
  • MoCA score of 26 or above

Exclusion criteria

  • Dementia
  • Other neurodegenerative disease
  • History of substance abuse
  • History of hearing disorders
  • History of neuropsychiatric disease

Treatment and study plan

Withholding Levodopa

Drug

Participants will have to withhold Levodopa medication 12 h before one of two experimental sessions.

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in mean inter-tap intervals following Levodopa withdrawal during rhythmic tapping tasks.

    Time frame: Between experimental sessions one and two, which will take place approximately one week apart.

    Audio recordings from the tapping tasks will be processed to extract onset times corresponding to participant taps (milliseconds). These onset times will be used to compute inter-tap intervals (ITI) by subtracting the earlier onset time from the later one (milliseconds).

  2. Changes in constant error following Levodopa withdrawal during rhythmic tapping tasks.

    Time frame: Between experimental sessions one and two, which will take place approximately one week apart.

    Audio recordings from the tapping tasks will be processed to extract the onset times of participant taps (milliseconds). These onset times will be used to compute the constant error (milliseconds) by subtracting the base interval (milliseconds) from the mean inter-tap interval (milliseconds).

  3. Changes in asynchronies following Levodopa withdrawal during rhythmic tapping tasks.

    Time frame: Between experimental sessions one and two, which will take place approximately one week apart.

    Audio recordings from the tapping tasks will be processed to extract onset times corresponding to auditory cues and participant taps (both in milliseconds). These onset times will be used to compute asynchronies (milliseconds) between the auditory cues and the taps. The asynchronies will be calculated by subtracting the tap onset from the corresponding auditory cue onset.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Impact of Levodopa withdrawal on motor symptoms severity scales.

    Time frame: Between experimental Sessions one and two, which will take place approximately one week apart.

    Motor symptom severity will be assessed with Part III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III). Scores range from 0 to 132, with higher scores reflecting more severe motor symptoms.

  2. Impact of Levodopa withdrawal on motor symptoms severity scales.

    Time frame: Between experimental sessions one and two, which will take place approximately one week apart.

    Cognitive assessment will be performed using the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Cognition (SCOPA-COG). Scores range from 0 to 43, with higher scores reflecting better cognitive function.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Itzamna Sanchez Moncada, Dr

CONTACT

[email protected]

Jonathan Cannon, Dr

CONTACT

[email protected]

(905) 531-6902

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

McMaster University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: RPPD

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jun 15, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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