Smell, Voice and Nasal Swabs as Markers for Neuro-degenerative Disorders

Degenerative dementias including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease with Dementia (PDD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Frontotemporal Dementias (FTLD), Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) constitute a significant, and growing burden with an estimated cost to the US healthcare system for 2016 of $236 Billion (1). Definitive diagnosis of these dementias is based on pathological criterion upon autopsy, which presents a significant challenge to establish diagnosis in living patients. Although clinical diagnostic criteria have been developed for several of these disorders, including for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) , Parkinson's Disease (PD) by the United Kingdom Parkinson Disease Brain Bank Diagnostic Criteria (UKPDBB) diagnostic criteria for Parkinson Disease(4) and others, the currently available tests, including the use of imaging markers and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) biological markers do not provide a definite diagnosis since this requires the observation of characteristic neuropathological changes in specific regions of the brain.

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Key information

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Dementia Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders Neurodegenerative Diseases Tauopathies

Age range

19 year–89 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Little Rock, Arkansas, 72205, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, Alzheimer's disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment based on consensus criteria, or suspicion of presbylarynx based on clinical evaluation.
Require evaluation of voice dysfunction by an ENT doctor given symptoms of impaired voice volume or quality
Age ≥ 18 years-old to ≤ 90-years old.
Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
Active nose bleeds, or abnormal anatomy of the nose that prevent safe nasal swabs, or active oropharyngeal disease that prevents laryngoscopy or voice assessments.

Treatment and study plan

Cytology and Immunohistochemistry

Diagnostic Test

Determine if nasal swabs can provide an adequate sample for evaluation using cytology and immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein, A-beta and p-tau staining.

Primary outcomes

Alpha-synuclein Levels From Nasal Swabs

Time frame: Up to 4 weeks after swab is completed

Determine if nasal swabs can provide an adequate sample for evaluation using cytology and immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein, Amyloid-beta (A-beta) and Phospho-tau (p-tau) staining.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Arkansas

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2021
First posted: Oct 2, 2017
Registry last updated: Nov 25, 2022

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

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