« With a 'Zero' Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Just Ahead for 2010, Seniors and Congressman Vow Action | Main | FlyersRights.org Supports TSA Efforts, but Cautions That New Procedures be Implemented Carefully »
MJFF Funds Two Investigations of Placebo Effect in Parkinson's Disease
December 29, 2009The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announced funding for two projects investigating the placebo effect in Parkinson's disease. Placebo treatments are harmless, inactive substances administered to some of the patients in a clinical trial to provide a baseline comparison for measuring the effects of active treatment given to other patients in the trial. The placebo effect -- in which patients who receive an inert substance nonetheless experience some or all benefits of active treatment -- is a topic of growing interest to Parkinson's researchers. The placebo effect has increasingly complicated the interpretation of outcomes from PD clinical trials, creating a significant hurdle to the development of new treatments. And it may have a greater impact in clinical trials for Parkinson's than other diseases, because it involves the dopamine system, which degenerates in PD. Full release.