brain-derived neurotrophic factor and parkinson's

---

PhD student Amy (left) is examining the relationship between a blood-based protein named Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and the different symptoms of Parkinson's.

If you have a diagnosis of Parkinson's and have not had deep brain stimulation (DBS), you can potentially take part in this study.

You will be asked to complete 2 separate testing sessions. 

For session 1, you will be asked to attend Curtin University to provide a blood sample. 

For session 2,  you will be asked to complete a test of your cognitive (thinking) and motor (movement) symptoms. Session 2 can be completed at the university or in your own home. 

For more information about this study, please email Amy at  amy.tiberio@curtin.edu.au or call Amy on 0461 268 083.  

You can also email Andrea at andrea.loftus@curtin.edu.au and she will forward your message to Amy. 

Research shows that people with Parkinson’s  can improve their cognitive functioning (thinking skills) using both cognitive training and non-invasive brain stimulation.  A recent study by ParkC shows that the largest improvements occur when we pair cognitive training with non-invasive brain stimulation, so that they are being delivered simultaneously. 

The human brain is made up of billions of neurons that talk to one another using chemical and electrical signals. All our actions and thoughts are dependent upon the firing of these neurons. Non-invasive brain stimulation is the application of weak electrical currents (1-2 mA) to change the electrical activity of neurons. When electrodes are placed on the scalp, the electrical change produced in the brain is exceedingly small, changing neuron excitability by only a fraction of a millivolt.  ParkC researchers Blake Lawrence, Natalie Gasson, Andrew Johnson, Leon Booth, and Andrea Loftus (2018) published a study reporting that placing the positive electrode on the frontal lobe led to improved thinking skills in those with Parkinson's. The use of non-invasive brain stimulation has not been associated with any adverse outcomes and is considered painless and safe. 

Cognitive training is sometimes called 'brain training' and involves completing tasks that target memory, attention, planning skills, and spatial skills. In this study, you will complete some computerised tasks while you are receiving brain stimulation.

This study is quite a commitment, but we are hoping you will enjoy your participation and understand that these kinds of intervention studies take time. 

This study will involve completing 11 separate sessions.

Session 1 (week 1) will require you to complete some paper/pencil tasks and computer-based tasks that assess your memory and thinking skills (cognition). You do not need previous experience using computers and the researcher will provide verbal instructions before each task. You will then complete a short assessment of your motor symptoms, which will require you to perform a series of movements with the researcher (finger tapping, foot tapping). Session 1 will take approximately 1.5 - 2 hours to complete; however, you will be offered regular breaks. This session can be completed in your home or at Curtin University.

Sessions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 will require you to attend the university twice per week to complete the intervention. Sessions 2 and 3 will be week in 1, 4 and 5 in week 2, 6 and 7 in week 3, and sessions 8 and 9 will be in week four. 

Session 10 will be the same as session 1, where we ask you to complete some tasks assessing your memory and thinking skills and some tests of your movement symptoms. 

Session 11 will occur 12 weeks after session 10 and will be the same as session 10. 

To find out more about this study, please email  Kara at Kara.simpson@curtin.edu.au or you can contact Andrea at andrea.loftus@curtin.edu.

 During the first phase of her PhD project, Ramishka conducted focus groups with people with Parkinson's and their partners to explore the strategies they used to support their conversations, as well as the barriers they experienced. This information was used in the second phase of her PhD project, where she codesigned a conversation therapy program with people with Parkinson's and their partners.   This conversation therapy program is currently being trialled and evaluated.  

 We are recruiting people with Parkinson’s and their partners who experience difficulties in conversations who would like to participate in a group therapy program to improve their conversations. 

To find out more about this study, please email Ramishka at ramishka.thilakaratne@postgrad.curtin.edu.au 

or telephone her on 0424 337 557.