Respiratory Kinematics of Cough in Healthy Older Adults and Parkinson's Disease

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this research study is to test cough function in individuals with Parkinson's disease and healthy older adults. Cough is a complex, defensive function which involves movement of the chest and lungs. The investigators want to compare the movement of the chest wall and the lungs during voluntary and reflex cough. The long-term goal of this research is to develop treatments for people with cough dysfunction. Cough dysfunction increases the risk for respiratory infections such as pneumonia. The results from this study will provide information to help researchers understand the difference between reflex and voluntary cough more fully.

Detailed Description
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If the participant agrees to participate, the investigators will first test pulmonary (lung) function. Next, the investigators will test voluntary and reflex cough. After this first round of cough testing, the investigators will ask participants to cough long and hard during voluntary and reflex cough testing. Finally, the investigators will view the larynx (voice box) with an endoscopic camera inserted through the nose. This test is done to see if there are any changes in the larynx that may influence cough.

Official Title
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Respiratory Kinematics of Reflex and Voluntary Cough in Healthy Older Adults and Parkinson's Disease

Conditions
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Cough, Parkinson's Disease

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: Capsaicin
* Other: Voluntary cough test


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age 55-85 years Ability to provide informed consent For participants with Parkinson's disease (PD): - Diagnosis of PD (Hoehn & Yahr stages II-IV) by a University of Florida Movement Disorders fellowship trained neurologist having completed a clinical assessment of each participant's PD severity and arriving at the diagnosis of PD by applying strict United Kingdom brain bank criteria. Exclusion Criteria: Participants with PD: - History of neurological disorders other than PD (e.g. multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain tumor, etc) Healthy older adults: History of neurological disease including PD History of head and neck cancer History of breathing disorders or disease (i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma) History of smoking for more than 5 years at any one time (as this reduces the sensitivity to capsaicin) History of chest infection the last 5 weeks Failure of a screening test of pulmonary function (e.g. forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity<75%) Difficulty complying due to neuropsychological dysfunction (i.e. severe depression)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 55 Years
Maximum Age: 85 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Participants with Parkinson's Disease are evaluated in parallel against a control group of health older adults
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Healthy older adults<br>All participants will receive reflex and voluntary cough testing. This will include coughing on command (voluntary cough) and coughing in response to capsaicin (reflex cough). This data will me measured to determine the strength of the cough (from both voluntary and reflex cough) and cough sensitivity (reflex cough only). Following baseline reflex and voluntary cough assessment, the participants will be cued to cough long and hard during both reflex and voluntary cough tasks. These data will help the investigators understand the baseline characteristics of voluntary and reflex cough, whether older adults can modify the magnitude of their cough response with verbal and visual cues. | Drug: Capsaicin<br>* For reflex cough testing, all participants will receive various concentrations of nebulized capsaicin. Delivery of multiple concentrations and doses of capsaicin allows for accurate assessment of both the strength (airflow measures) of reflex, as well as cough sensitivity.<br>Other: Voluntary cough test<br>* Participants will be fitted with a facemask covering their mouth and nose, and instructed to cough into the facemask.<br>|
| Experimental: Parkinson's disease<br>All participants will receive reflex and voluntary cough testing. This will include coughing on command (voluntary cough) and coughing in response to capsaicin (reflex cough). This data will me measured to determine the strength of the cough (from both voluntary and reflex cough) and cough sensitivity (reflex cough only). Following baseline reflex and voluntary cough assessment, the participants will be cued to cough long and hard during both reflex and voluntary cough tasks. These data will help the investigators understand the baseline characteristics of voluntary and reflex cough, whether older adults can modify the magnitude of their cough response with verbal and visual cues. | Drug: Capsaicin<br>* For reflex cough testing, all participants will receive various concentrations of nebulized capsaicin. Delivery of multiple concentrations and doses of capsaicin allows for accurate assessment of both the strength (airflow measures) of reflex, as well as cough sensitivity.<br>Other: Voluntary cough test<br>* Participants will be fitted with a facemask covering their mouth and nose, and instructed to cough into the facemask.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Peak Expiratory Flow Rate | Peak expiratory flow rate is the maximum volume of air that is expelled per unit time for each cough in a cough epoch. Measured in liters/second. | 1-2 hours | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Cough, Reflex, Voluntary, Healthy older adults, Parkinson's disease, Respiratory kinematics, Cueing