Dr Monty Silverdale
University of Manchester
United Kingdom
Biomarkers of pain in Parkinson's
Parkinson's UK
21,774
02/09/2013
4
Pain in Parkinson’s is common and disabling yet under recognised and poorly understood. This study will investigate multiple factors contributing to pain in patients with early Parkinson’s. We will collect detailed data on pain in patients recruited into the Proband study. The Tracking Parkinson’s study is a large study of patients mainly with early Parkinson’s, already funded by Parkinson’s UK. Funding will enable us to recruit over 1000 Proband patients into our pain study. By linking up with Tracking Parkinson’s we have a unique opportunity to capture data on pain from a large cohort of well-characterised Parkinson’s patients, and to attempt to identify biomarkers which associate with pain in early Parkinson’s.
We have 3 main aims in this study:-
1. Determine the prevalence, characteristics, associated symptoms and treatment response of pain and in particular neuropathic pain in a large cohort of patients with early PD.
2. Investigate the role of genetic polymorphisms in the COMT gene on the prevalence of chronic pain in PD.
3. Evaluate the contribution of small fibre neuropathy to the development of pain in PD, using a noninvasive method (corneal confocal microscopy).
This is a baseline study in patients with early PD. Following this study we will apply for NIHR funding to expand into a longitudinal study; further dissect out the mechanisms contributing to pain in PD; explore the causes of neuropathy and small fibre neuropathy in PD; incorporate a novel Parkinson’s pain scale and trial therapeutic interventions for pain in PD.