---
title: Identify neural causes of dysphagia
nct_id: NCT07299448
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf
study_type: OBSERVATIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07299448"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07299448"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:01:46.416Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Identify neural causes of dysphagia

**Goal (in five words):** Identify neural causes of dysphagia

**Official Title:** Biological Determinants and Neural Compensatory Mechanisms of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT07299448](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07299448)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** OBSERVATIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf
- **Target Enrollment:** 100 participants
- **Start Date:** 2025-09-01
- **Completion Date:** 2027-09
- **Conditions:** Parkinsons Disease (PD), Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

## Summary For Families

They want to pin down the biological factors and brain compensation patterns that lead to or protect against oropharyngeal dysphagia, the swallowing problems many people with Parkinson's can develop. As an observational study, researchers will use brain MRI, cough reflex and throat-sensation tests, and clinical swallowing assessments to map how sensory loss and altered neural networks relate to swallowing function, they are measuring how the body and brain behave rather than testing a treatment. Adults 18 and older with idiopathic Parkinson's at any disease stage who can eat orally and follow the testing can join, while people with other causes of dysphagia, implanted electronic stimulators or MRI contraindications, or asthma/COPD are excluded.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

.- Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease diagnosed according to the MDS diagnostic criteria

* Participation possible in all disease stages, regardless of the presence or absence of subjective or objective oropharyngeal dysphagia
* Cognitive ability sufficient to comply with the study paradigm
* Daily oral intake of food and fluids (exclusion of patients with exclusive tube feeding)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presence of other conditions associated with oropharyngeal dysphagia, such as stroke, head and neck cancer, neuroinflammatory diseases, neuromuscular disorders, or other brain injuries
* Presence of electronic stimulation devices (e.g., pacemaker, deep brain stimulation) or other contraindications for MRI imaging
* Diagnosis of asthma or COPD (due to performance of the cough reflex test in "Block 1: Assessment of OD and pharyngeal hyposensitivity")
```

## Locations (1)

- University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany _(51.2232, 6.7793)_
  - Cinja Huber — (CONTACT) — cinja.huber@med-uni.duesseldorf.de

## Central Contacts

- Bendix Labeit — (CONTACT) — 0049211811887 — Bendix.Labeit@med.uni-duesseldorf.de

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07299448*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07299448*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07299448*