Progressive Supranuclear Palsy clinical trials at UCSF

Prior research has identified profound sleep disruption in individuals with PSP. Not only were these individuals sleeping relatively short periods at night, they were also not recuperating lost sleep during the day. Research also showed the relative preservation of a series of nuclei key in regulating wake and arousal. Investigators believe that therapeutically targeting wake promoting centers with a specific medication will improve sleep quality and overall well-being in PSP. To study this, investigators will be doing a double blind, within subject, remote clinical trial with 3 conditions: suvorexant- which targets a wake promoting system, zolpidem- a standard hypnotic that engages sleep promoting systems, versus placebo. Each condition will last 1 week and will be separated by a 1 week washout period on no sleep medications. Investigators will measure sleep patterns and daytime symptoms to determine if suvorexant, zolpidem, or both medications are safe and effective for treating sleep disturbances and improving overall well-being in PSP.

This home-based study is a randomized (1:1) placebo-controlled trial of a single infusion of zoledronic acid-5 mg (ZA) for the prevention of fractures in men and women aged 60 years and older with Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism with at least 2 years of follow-up. A total of 3500 participants will be enrolled and randomized in the United States. Participants, follow-up outcome assessors, and study investigators will be blinded to assigned study treatment. This trial is funded by the National Institute of Aging.