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A newly founded international research and therapy project has been launched by Mr Danny Lavender MBE from BeatParkinsons and Dr Roland Brandstaetter from the University of Birmingham. The aim of the project is to study the lifestyles of people who have Parkinson’s disease and who experience disruptions to their natural sleep/wake rhythm. In general, people with Parkinson’s disease have more severe sleep disruptions than similarly aged people without the disease. The most commonly reported sleep related problems are the inability to sleep through the night, difficulty returning to sleep after awakening, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
The research is based on the hypothesis that disruptions of the circadian body clock are responsible for these insomnia symptoms and may even contribute to the development and progression of the disease. It will shed new light on the impact of disrupted sleep/wake rhythms in Parkinson’s disease, and allow us to develop and apply a novel behavioural personalised therapy in order to improve and stabilise the sleep/wake rhythm and improve quality of life.
Volunteers needed
If you have Parkinson’s disease and are willing to contribute to research and therapy development, by completing a simple questionnaire and possibly a daily sleep/wake diary for a period of 2 to 3 weeks, please email Dr Roland Brandstaetter at the University of Birmingham. Your data will be treated with the highest confidentiality.
The deadline for the first round of participation is 31st August 2016.
Background
By involving people with Parkinson’s disease across Europe with different lifestyles, experiencing a range of symptoms and using various types of medication, the research team hope to be able to gain valuable insight as to whether there is a common trend that is fundamental in the breakdown of the endogenous biological clock (circadian rhythm), causing poor quality sleep patterns.
Research Team
Dr Roland Brandstaetter is a neuroscientist and circadian biologist specialising in research on the human body clock at the University of Birmingham. Roland’s research aims at the development of novel therapeutic approaches to stabilise sleep wake rhythmicity and improve health and wellbeing.
Mr Danny James Lavender MBE from the UK diagnosed with Idiopathic young onset Parkinson’s disease on the 23 December 2004. Danny, is a keen sportsman and accomplished athlete who is committed to supporting Parkinson’s research and awareness.
More information can be found here: