Brain Dopamine Biomarker
Starting soon · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Parkinson Disease, Healthy Adult Participants
In brief
This study is being conducted at the Morsani College of Medicine to determine whether signals recorded from the eyes and brain can be used as a noninvasive way to monitor dopamine function. Approximately 50 adults (25 with Parkinson's disease and 25 without Parkinson's disease) will participate. Participants will undergo electroretinography (ERG) and electroencephalography (EEG), which are FDA-approved, noninvasive devices that measure electrical activity from the retina and brain using sensors placed on the skin around the eyes and scalp. Participants with Parkinson's disease will be tested before and after taking their prescribed Parkinson's medication (e.g., Sinemet® \[carbidopa/levodopa\]). Participants without Parkinson's disease will receive a single dose of compounded levodopa/carbidopa eye drops (an FDA-approved drug used in an unapproved ophthalmic formulation) in one eye and a placebo eye drop in the other eye. The placebo consists of the same vehicle solution without levodopa/carbidopa and contains 0.1% ascorbic acid, 0.001% benzalkonium chloride, and phosphate-buffered saline. Randomization will be used to determine which eye receives the levodopa/carbidopa eye drop and which eye receives the placebo. Researchers will compare measurements obtained before and after treatment to evaluate whether blue-light visual responses are associated with dopamine activity.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07748715
- Run by
- University of South Florida
- People needed
- 50
- Starts
- 2026-10-01
- Expected to finish
- 2027-09-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-08-06
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Parkinson's subjects will have received physician verified diagnosis of the disease and be on a dopaminergic medication for at least 3 months
You may not qualify if…
- Any movement, strength, or balance assessments that may pose a potential risk for injury
- Individuals with a history of photosensitive epilepsy or seizure activity triggered by visual stimuli
- Current use of antipsychotics, stimulants, or other medications known to affect central dopaminergic transmission
- Pregnancy
- Recent ocular surgery
- Phenylketonuria
- (PD participants) not cognitively intact and not able to consent for themselves
- (non-PD subjects) a pre-screening survey will assess medication use and neurological history
- Ophthalmologic or visual system conditions that may interfere with stimulus delivery or retinal function. These include significant cataract (defined as LOCS III ≥ NC2/NO2 or any media opacity that precludes adequate delivery of visual stimuli to the retina), active retinal or macular pathology (including age-related macular degeneration with significant drusen or geographic atrophy, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, or epiretinal membrane with foveal involvement), glaucoma, or any optic neuropathy.
- Individuals with congenital color vision deficiencies, particularly tritan-spectrum defects
- Ocular surgery within the past three months
- Use of medications known to affect retinal electrophysiology (e.g., chronic hydroxychloroquine, vigabatrin, deferoxamine, or isotretinoin)
- History of photosensitive epilepsy or visually triggered seizures (especially relevant given the use of bright visual stimuli and potential flicker paradigms)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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