Movement Disorders

Research

All three Mayo Clinic locations are leaders in various aspects of research related to finding causes and treatment for movement disorders.

Research at Mayo Clinic in Florida

Familial parkinsonism: Mayo Clinic physicians are studying families with multiple members affected by parkinsonism or other movement disorders. The research includes clinical investigations (examination of patients for research purposes), genealogical studies, molecular genetic analysis and DNA banking. This study is sponsored by the Morris H. Udall National Institutes of Health Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence grant awarded to Mayo Clinic in Florida. More information can be found on the Research Web site.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy & Cortical Basal Ganglionic Degeneration: Researchers are studying individuals with these conditions and doing DNA banking.

Dystonia: Physicians are studying families with focal (blepharospasm, torticollis, oromandibular dystonia, spasmodic dysphonia, leg dystonia) and segmental (combination of blepharospasm, oromandibular dystonia, torticollis, and other forms) for genetic analysis (finding the genes responsible for these disorders).

Brain Bank Registry: This is a registry of patients with neurological disease and people without (as controls) for eventual brain autopsy at time of death. Brain autopsy is sometimes the only way to confirm the diagnosis of a neurological condition.

Research at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota

The Movement Disorders Group in Minnesota is actively interested in Parkinson's disease research, and several large studies are under way.

Additional studies are continuously under way for a wide range of movement disorders and all members of the group are involved in research. Eligibility for such studies can best be addressed at a patient's clinical appointment.

For more information see Parkinson's disease research

Research at Mayo Clinic in Arizona

The Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Arizona develops research protocols, which establish important information about the nature of movement disorders and treatment. Studies include:

• Experimental drug trials
• Genetic factors in movement disorders
• Physiology and abnormal movements and Parkinson's disease
• Use of botulinum toxin
• Surgical treatment of movement disorders

Mayo Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on movement disorders on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.