Conditions: Parkinson Disease
Keywords: Parkinson Disease ubiquinol CoQ10 magnetic resonance spectroscopy lactate glutathione
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 11
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to find out whether ubiquinol is well tolerated, can affect the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and change the energy levels in the brain. Subjects will be randomized to taking ubiquinol or placebo and will have a neurological evaluation, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and blood test for biological markers taken during the study.

Detailed description:
Multiple lines of evidence have implicated abnormal energy metabolism and deficient mitochondrial function in Parkinson's disease, presenting a unique target for therapy. A pilot study of ubiquinol in PD was therefore undertaken to determine its effects upon physiologic measures of mitochondrial metabolic function. The incorporation of a neuroimaging biomarker is particularly important, since changes would demonstrate our ability to achieve Central Nervous System (CNS) access from this an formulation, accompanied by a meaningful neurophysiologic effect. Hydrogen Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging (1H MRSI) is a technique that provides insight into the metabolism of several endogenous brain compounds, most notably N-acetyl-L-aspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho), and creatine and phosphocreatine (Cr). A number of studies of mitochondrial function have now firmly established the utility of 1H MRSI in probing potential mitochondrial energy metabolism dysfunction, in primary mitochondrial disorders, but also in PD. This pilot study is therefore designed to test whether oral ubiquinol affects cerebral indices of mitochondrial dysfunction, as measured by 1H MRSI in patients with Parkinson's disease, and to gather preliminary information on the safety and tolerability of ubiquinol in individuals with PD.

Arms:
arm 1: 600mg ubiquinol daily for 24 weeks arm 2: Placebo daily for 24 weeks

Interventions: intervention 1: Ubiquinol intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Ubiquinol caplets 600mg/day intervention 2: placebo

Protocol document: