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The eyes as a window to the brain: can a simple scan monitor MS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's?

NCT ID NCT07720765

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: IRCCS San Raffaele Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study is testing whether a non-invasive eye scan called optical coherence tomography (OCT) can help track neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and migraine. Over two years, researchers will measure the thickness of retinal layers in 840 patients and 210 healthy volunteers, comparing changes to standard clinical tests and brain imaging. The goal is to see if OCT can serve as a quick, painless way to monitor nerve damage in the brain over time.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) — a non-invasive eye scan that measures retinal layer thickness
What this could lead to
If successful, this could establish OCT as a simple, routine tool to monitor nerve damage in common brain diseases, potentially catching changes earlier than current methods.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It will measure correlations, not prove that OCT improves patient outcomes. Results may not change practice if the scans don't reliably predict disease progression.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 1,050 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2023

Expected to finish

Apr 2031

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Adult patients with a diagnosis of a Central Nervous System neurological disease (Multiple Sclerosis; Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's disease; migraine/headache) recruited from the neurology outpatient clinics and inpatient wards of IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy. Healthy controls recruited primarily from medical students, colleagues, and relatives of patients.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria for neurological patients: 1. Diagnosis of a Central Nervous System neurological disease (inflammatory diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis; neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; migraine/headache) according to currently accepted diagnostic criteria for each condition. 2. Age greater than 18 years. 3. Signed informed consent to study participation. 4. Willingness and ability to undergo all study visits and procedures. Inclusion Criteria for healthy controls: 1. Absence of neurological disease. 2. Age greater than 18 years. 3. Signed informed consent to study participation. 4. Willingness and ability to undergo all study visits and procedures. Exclusion Criteria for neurological patients: 1. Refusal to participate or withdrawal of informed consent. 2. Known or confirmed ocular pathology identified during examination (ophthalmological evaluation may be requested at the investigators' discretion). 3. Inability to understand instructions given by investigators. 4. Presence of any condition that, in the investigators' opinion, renders the subject unsuitable for the study. 5. For specific imaging modes using clearly visible light sources (MultiColor, FA, BAF): diagnosis of epilepsy or history of previous epileptic seizures. Exclusion Criteria for healthy controls: 1. Refusal to participate or withdrawal of informed consent. 2. Known or confirmed ocular pathology identified during examination. 3. Inability to understand instructions given by investigators. 4. Presence of any condition that, in the investigators' opinion, renders the subject unsuitable for the study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease headache disorder migraine disorder multiple sclerosis Nerve Degeneration Parkinson disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alzheimer disease Headache disorders Migraine Multiple sclerosis Parkinson disease

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele - Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit

    RECRUITING

    Milan, Milano, 20132, Italy

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