Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common cause of symptoms of rigidity, resting tremor, and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). However, other conditions such as multisystem atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can produce very similar clinical signs, especially in their early stages. Because these conditions all begin with the same type of symptoms, some patients have been misdiagnosed with PD but actually suffer from a different disease. This poses problems for both patient care and clinical trials. This research study will test a new automated image-based categorization algorithm (or a problem-solving computer program) to provide accurate diagnosis of PD within two years of the onset of patient symptoms (or perhaps even before symptoms appear in at-risk patients with idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Behavior Disorder (RBD). We hope that this research project will ultimately help researchers recruit true PD (or MSA or PSP) patients to track disease progression in clinical trials. Accurate early diagnosis would also help optimize patient care through proper treatment.

We will measure brain function with imaging methods (Positron Emission Tomography – PET scanning), neurological examinations, and neuropsychological testing.