NCT07299448
Biological Determinants and Neural Compensation of Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease
Recruiting · Not specified · Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf · registry updated 2025-12-23
Inclusion and exclusion lines below are quoted from ClinicalTrials.gov. No match score is shown, because a score needs a person's age, biomarkers, and treatment dates. Confirm the record with the study team.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and frequently leads to oropharyngeal dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that strongly affects patient health and quality of life. Dysphagia in PD is associated with aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and impaired medication intake, which together represent one of the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality in these patients. Despite its clinical relevance, the underlying biological mechanisms of dysphagia in PD are not fully understood, and current treatment strategies are limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical, biological, and neural determinants of oropharyngeal dysphagia in patients with PD, and to explore compensatory mechanisms of the brain that may counteract swallowing difficulties. We hypothesize that dysphagia in PD is linked not only to disease severity and progression but also to specific biological markers and neural plasticity in the swallowing network. This is a prospective, cross-sectional observational study including 100 patients with PD....
Inclusion
- Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease diagnosed according to the MDS diagnostic criteria
- Participation possible in all disease stages, regardless of the presence or absence of subjective or objective oropharyngeal dysphagia
- Cognitive ability sufficient to comply with the study paradigm
- Daily oral intake of food and fluids (exclusion of patients with exclusive tube feeding)
Exclusion
- Presence of other conditions associated with oropharyngeal dysphagia, such as stroke, head and neck cancer, neuroinflammatory diseases, neuromuscular disorders, or other brain injuries
- Presence of electronic stimulation devices (e.g., pacemaker, deep brain stimulation) or other contraindications for MRI imaging
- Diagnosis of asthma or COPD (due to performance of the cough reflex test in "Block 1: Assessment of OD and pharyngeal hyposensitivity")