3-D brain mapping could sharpen ultrasound treatment for hand tremors
NCT ID NCT06331052
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether using 3-D tractography—a detailed brain imaging method—can make focused ultrasound ablation safer and more effective for people with essential tremor. Twenty-four adults with moderate to severe tremor that hasn't responded to medication will receive the procedure. Researchers will track side effects and tremor improvement over three months to see if this advanced imaging helps target the right brain area more precisely.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MR-guided focused ultrasound ablation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a more precise, non-invasive treatment option for essential tremor, potentially reducing side effects and improving tremor control.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility study with only 24 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The procedure carries risks like temporary balance or speech issues, and long-term benefits are not yet known.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
22 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of moderate to severe ET agreed upon by at least two movement disorder trained physicians * Symptoms refractory to at least two medications * Stable essential tremor medication regimen for at least 4 weeks prior to screening * Willing and able to participate in all follow-up visits * Willing and able to undergo MR imaging. Exclusion Criteria: * Uncontrolled hypertension * Medically unstable coronary artery disease * Coagulopathy with inability to temporarily stop any antithrombotic medication * Tremor disorders other than ET (e.g., Parkinson disease, traumatic tremor, alcohol or drug dependent tremor that remains after at least 2 weeks of abstinence etc.) * Unwilling or unable to undergo tremor surgery while awake * Significant and non-correctible motion artifact in imaging * Pregnant at the time of enrollment or preoperative evaluation * Dementia * History of psychosis * Prior brain surgery that could influence the focused ultrasound procedure outcomes, including deep brain stimulation * Botulinum toxin injection in the tremor-impacted areas three months prior to the baseline assessment and until 3-months after Vim-FUSA * does not qualify for FDA-approved clinical use based on current FDA labeling except that skull density ratio ≤ 0.4 will be allowed for this study * Any significant issue raised by the neurologist or neurosurgeon that may compromise participant safety or potentially interfere with study interpretation. * non-English speaking
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Essential tremor are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
RECRUITINGChapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Hair-Thin electrodes tested to Fine-Tune brain stimulation
- Brain training through implanted electrodes aims to quiet Parkinson's tremors
- Can new brain stimulation patterns quiet stubborn tremors?
- AI hunts for early clues to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's progression
- Mapping the Brain's electrical signals to improve surgical precision