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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Dr
Daniel
Smith
daniel.smith2@durham.ac.uk
Dr
Daniel
Smith
daniel.smith2@durham.ac.uk
Extrapyramidal and movement disorders
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare brain disease that that causes problems with walking, swallowing, speech and eye-movements. Unfortunately, because it is a rare disease doctors often mistakenly diagnose as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Misdiagnosis of this disease is a problem for many reasons. Firstly, the medicines that are effective for treating PD do not work for PSP. They also have
unpleasant side effects. Misdiagnosis therefore is both harmful to the patient and wasteful of scarce NHS resources. Secondly, the prognosis for PSP is much worse than that of PD, so misdiagnosis makes it a lot harder for patients and carers to gain access to the financial support needed to adjust their lifestyle to maximise their quality of life. For example, patients with PSP often require home adaptations and wheelchairs to compensate for their reduced mobility. Finally, inaccurate diagnosis is distressing to patients and carers and leads to unnecessary hospital visits. It is therefore important to develop new ways to effectively diagnose PSP. Existing research, including a pilot study we ran from 2015-2019, suggests that people with PSP have problems with visuospatial attention and short term memory. However, these factors are not routinely used during diagnosis. In our study people with PSP, people Parkinson’s disease and healthy participants will complete computer based tests that measure visual attention. For example, in one test participant must search a scene to find a target object. We will also measure short term memory, the ability to recognise emotions and eye-movements. These tests can be completed using a laptop, so we can test people in their own homes. We will compare the scores of the different groups to establish whether tests of attention and memory can be used as a cheap and effective way of differentiating between PSP and Parkinson’s disease.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Observational type: Case-controlled study;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Inability to give informed consent Severe cognitive impairment (MMSE < 10) Patient does not meet NINDS-SPSP criteria for clinically probable or clinically possible PSP (see attached) Poor sitting stability - making clinical evaluations difficult for the patient Absence of a regular caregiver to provide support Active medical psychiatric illness which could interfere with assessment Alcohol abuse, head injury, stroke, epilepsy or other major physical illness History of severe visual loss
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by University of Durham and funded by THE DUNHILL MEDICAL TRUST .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 44016
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
