Creation and standardized longitudinal follow-up of a cohort of patients with de novo Parkinson's disease: the VIP project

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a quite heterogeneous disorder, thus difficulting the interpretation of transversal studies. Patients' registries and longitudinal studies can be considered as a priority in order to understand many still unknown aspects of the disease. To create and follow in a longitudinal way a cohort of 300 patients with de novo PD who will be assessed and treated in a uniform way. The end-point of the project will be the donation of the brain. This is a non-hypothesis driven project which immediate steps are: a) Inclusion of de novo PD patients; b) Application of a protocol of evaluations and treatment recommendations; c) Obtaining and maintenance of biological samples; d) Elaboration of a data base to be released on the net; e) Design and start of different studies to be performed simultaneously; and f) Brain donation. The study will be carried out by the Consorcio Parkinson across the country. Retrospective and prospective studies to be addressed in the future are of quite diverse nature, from clinical to molecular.