Research Participation Opportunities

Can a 7 week interactive group education workshop help you and your care partner manage Parkinson’s disease?

Did you know that self-management is essential for those with Parkinson’s Disease, yet many don’t know how to self-manage? Griffith University is inviting participants to join a 7-week interactive group program to learn:

• All about Parkinson’s Disease and how it affects many different parts of the body
• Why you need a number of different health professionals involved in your care
• What self-management is
• How to be a successful self-manager

You will leave the workshop with your own individualised action plan to help you manage your condition over the next 12 months. 

Experiences in the Heat with Parkinson’s Disease

Start Date: Now
Investigators: Dr Andrew Hunt, Prof Ian Stewart and Prof Graham Kerr
Ethics Approval: 2000000718

Parkinson’s disease may present with non-movement symptoms including the way the body responds to changes in temperature. However, many aspects of how people with Parkinson’s disease experience the heat, such as their perceptions of heat, its effects on day-to-day activities and quality of life, and whether they experience symptoms of heat-related illness, are not well understood.

There are two aims for this study: 1. To increase knowledge and understanding of how people with Parkinson’s disease experience the heat. 2. To develop a scale for the assessment of heat sensitivity in people with Parkinson’s disease.

You can find out about eligibility and further details by clicking here.

GRIDD Queensland Parkinson’s Project

No person with Parkinson’s disease is the same and finding answers to some of the pertinent questions requires a lot of information and biological samples from many different individuals. The Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) Queensland Parkinson’s Project (QPP) aims to get information and samples from around 250 new volunteers on a yearly basis.

They are not only looking for people with a neurological disorder, but also welcome those without, who can serve as a control group for comparison analyses. They welcome everyone who wants to participate in this worthwhile research endeavour. It only takes a moment of your time to fill out a questionnaire and the donation of a small blood sample.

Because it is important to know what changes during the course of the disease, they will contact you every year so you can provide them with an update of your situation by completing a short questionnaire.

Driving With Parkinson’s National Survey

A call-out for anyone of any age with Parkinson’s who is still driving or no longer driving.

During national consultations undertaken for the Young Onset Parkinson’s Exchange (YOP-X), driving experiences were highlighted as an area to consider for further investigation. Current information on driving with Parkinson’s in Australia and internationally can assume that Parkinson’s is a condition for older people for whom driving may no longer be a priority. Members of the Young Onset Parkinson’s Working Group have developed a list of topic areas around driving safely and maintaining independence, and additional information collected through this short survey will form the basis of a new driving resource for people with Parkinson’s. Please click on the link below to complete the survey, or direct enquires to Katie at [email protected]

UQ: Oral prebiotic to improve symptoms of constipation in Parkinson’s Disease

We are looking for people with Parkinson’s Disease who suffer from constipation. The study involves trialling an oral prebiotic which improves the health of the gut microbiome.

Your participation may lead to the improvement of care for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Keeping time with Parkinson’s Research – The TemPo Studies

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, you or your loved one may be interested in participating in one of the TemPo Studies. They are a suite of three clinical research studies evaluating an oral investigational drug (tavapadon) to see if it may help improve Parkinson’s Disease symptoms that impact movement and daily activities.

Uncovering a Novel Therapeutic Target to Reduce Dementia Risk in Parkinson’s disease

Start Date: Now
Investigators: Dr Nadeeka Dissanayaka, and Dana Pourzinal
Ethics Approval: The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research

Dementia is common at advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease. With it comes lower quality of life, increased financial burden, and early institutionalisation. Yet unfortunately, there are currently no known effective treatments to reduce the risk of dementia in Parkinson’s disease. This study is investigating the use of a drug traditionally used for epilepsy to treat early-stage memory problems in Parkinson’s disease. The end goal is to reduce the risk of dementia in people living with Parkinson’s disease, who have a significantly greater chance of developing dementia than the average older adult.

You can find out about eligibility and further details by clicking here.

QUT Light4PD – Photoreceptor-directed light therapy in Parkinson’s disease

Start Date: Now
Investigators: A/Prof Beatrix Feigl, Pro Andrew J Zele, Prof Graham Kerr, Drew Carter, Manuela Russo, Subodh Gnyawali, Prof Simon Lewis, Dr Daniel Schweitzer, and Dr Lucy Burr
Ethics Approval: 2000000435

This research from QUT is seeking to determine the effect of a daily, short duration (30 min) artificial light exposure on sleep and movement in people with Parkinson’s disease. Your participation will involve three laboratory visits to QUT Kelvin Grove and four short home visits from one of the research team members during a period of 6 weeks.

You can find out about eligibility and further details by clicking here.

Effects of aquatic and land-based walking on Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension and Non-Motor Symptoms in early-stage Parkinson’s Disease

Project Number or ID:1022781
Start and End Date: 26 July 2021 – 26 May 2022.
Investigators: Sarah Latif
Ethics Approval: S211557

Do you have early stage Parkinson’s Disease?

Sarah Latif is seeking participants to join a 6 month walking program (either aquatic or land walking) to see whether orthostatic hypotension and non motor Parkinson’s Disease symptoms are reduced. This study will include a 3 month follow up.

You can find out about eligibility and further details by clicking here.

Can a physiotherapy exercise program with a self-management approach improve physical activity in people with mild-moderate Parkinson’s disease? 

Project Number or ID: UQ/WMR-2016-1628, Trial Registration: ACTRN12617001057370
Start and End Date: Now – 31st March 2023.
Investigators: Professor Sandra Brauer, A/Prof John O’Sullivan, Dr Robyn Lamont
Ethics Approval: Uniting Care Health Human Research Ethics Committe; University of Queensland Human Ethics Research Committees; Metro South Hospital and Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee.

Researchers at the University of Queensland are inviting people with PD to participate in a research project aiming to improve and maintain physical activity levels.

You can find out about eligibility and further details by clicking here.

Speak Out Speech Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease.
SPEAK OUT is a therapy program designed for people with Parkinson’s Disease. You will work together with a speech pathologist for 12 weeks completing speech, voice and cognitive exercises. This program emphasizes speaking with intent and changes speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

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QUT: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on gait in people with Parkinson’s disease

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is widely used in neuroscientific and clinical research and is known to improve movement abilities in people with and without Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of this research project is to examine whether gait and balance can be improved in people with and without PD using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

QUT: Improving postural stability and reducing falls risk in people with Parkinson’s disease using textured insoles.

You are invited to participate in a study that will improve our understanding of how to prevent falls in older people and people with Parkinson’s disease.

A Non-Drug Treatment Trial for Anxiety in Parkinson’s disease – Participants required

We invite persons with Parkinson’s disease and their partner/caregiver to consider participating in our Parkinson’s disease research study examining a non-drug treatment to reduce anxiety. If you don’t have a caregiver/partner or if your caregiver/partner declines to participate, you can still participate in this clinical trial.

QUT: Would you like to take part in a study to measure the impact of dance on people with Parkinson’s disease?

We are looking for:
Independently living, ambulatory men or women who are diagnosed as having idiopathic Parkinson’s disease; aged between 30 to 85 years; and who have not participated in a dance programme in the past six months.

University of Sydney: Discipline of Speech Pathology: Online Survey
You are invited to participate in a study that will evaluate the validity of a Parkinson’s disease specific questionnaire that is currently used by speech pathologists. In this study, you are invited to complete an online survey. All identifying personal information will not be collected and responses will remain anonymous. The questions in the survey will include a range of relevant topics such as personal characteristics, physical and emotional well-being.

Young Onset Parkinson’s exchange: Survey on difficulties in sleeping and fatigue

We are looking for people with a young onset of Parkinson’s Disease who suffer from sleep difficulties. We are aiming to deepen our understanding of the issue and consequently create ways to improve sleep quality. The study consists of a quick survey that is anonymous.

You can access the survey here: