Brain scans aim to uncover Tau's role in rare Parkinson's-Like disease
NCT ID NCT02605785
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study uses special PET scans to measure tau protein buildup in the brains of 332 people with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare brain disorder that affects movement and balance. Researchers want to see how tau levels change over time and relate to symptoms. Participants must be over 35 and have a study partner who can provide information about their daily functioning.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- F-18 AV 1451 (tau PET scan tracer)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors better understand how tau buildup relates to PSP symptoms and track disease progression over time.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational imaging study, not a treatment trial. It may not directly lead to new therapies, and results may not apply to all PSP patients.
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.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 332 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Start date
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Nov 2015
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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.
- Ages
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35 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Must be over 35 years of age and present with gradual progression of PSP-related symtoms * Must have an informant or study partner that can provide independent information of functioning. * Must meet criteria for possible or probable Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. To fulfill criteria for possible PSP, subjects must have a gradually progressive disorder with either vertical (upward or downward) supranuclear palsy or both slowing of vertical saccades and prominent postural instability with falls in the first year of disease onset. To fulfill criteria for probable PSP, subjects must have vertical (upward or downward gaze) supranuclear palsy and prominent postural instability with falls in the first year of disease onset. Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects will be excluded if they meet criteria for another neurodegenerative disease (including corticobasal syndrome, frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, Alzheimer's disease, multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease) or do not have the symptoms necessary to fulfill inclusion criteria for possible PSP. * Subjects with concurrent illnesses that could account for their symptoms, such as traumatic brain injury, encephalitis, strokes or developmental syndromes will be excluded. * Women that are pregnant or post-partum and breast-feeding will be excluded. * Subjects will be excluded from the study if they have any of the following genetic conditions which can increase the chance of cancer: Cowden disease, Lynch syndrome, hypogammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, and Down's syndrome. * Subjects will also be excluded if MRI is contraindicated (metal in head, cardiac pace maker, e.t.c.), if there is severe claustrophobia, if there are conditions that may confound brain imaging studies (e.g. structural abnormalities, including subdural hematoma, intracranial neoplasm or large cortical infarcts), or if they are medically unstable or are on medications that might affect brain structure or metabolism (e.g. chemotherapy). * Subjects will also be excluded if they do not have an informant, or do not consent to research.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Mayo Clinic
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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