'Scratch-and-sniff' test given $1 million grant

A UA researcher has been awarded a grant to develop a "scratch-and-sniff" test, a "video game," and depression evaluation survey.

Dr. Erwin Montgomery, neurologist and director of the Movement Disorders Program at the UA College of Medicine, has been awarded a $1 million, three-year grant to expand research that could soon provide simple, low-cost diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

The National Institutes of Health awarded Montgomery the grant to continue his development of a battery of tests for early diagnosis of Parkinson's.

"It is very exciting," Montgomery said about receiving the grant.

By identifying people before they see something wrong, treatment with drugs that slow the progression of the disease can be given, Montgomery said.

Examples of the tests include a "scratch-and-sniff" test to determine ability to smell, a "video game" to determine wrist movement and a survey to evaluate depression.

"It is hard to say (when the test will be available to the public)," Montgomery said. "We hope to expand our research to physicians in the community, and after a year it may be available for widespread use."

Registry formed to track unusual heart condition

American and French cardiologists have teamed up to establish an international registry to track a heart condition that causes sudden death in young people.

Dr. Frank Marcus of the University Heart Center, and Dr. Guy Fontaine, a French cardiologist, are collecting data on right ventricular dysplasia (RVD).

RVD is a heart muscle disease of unknown cause and is one of the most frequent causes of sudden death in young people. Victims are usually young, male athletes with no previous heart conditions.

The purpose of the registry is to gather information about this unusual form of heart disease so society can learn about causes and treatments, Marcus said.

Clinics may have one or two cases each year, not enough to give doctors complete information about diagnosis, Marcus said.

"The registry was created to alleviate this problem," Marcus said.