Brain zapping showdown: which target tames tremors best?
NCT ID NCT07526155
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested two different spots in the brain for deep brain stimulation (DBS) to control essential tremor. Eleven people who did not get relief from medication had electrodes placed in both the usual target (VIM) and a newer one (PSA). The goal was to see if the newer spot works just as well while using less energy and causing fewer side effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS) device
- What this could lead to
- If PSA stimulation proves non-inferior, it could offer a more energy-efficient and safer option for controlling essential tremor with DBS.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small trial (11 people) comparing two established targets, so results may not apply widely. The study is completed but not yet published, so real-world benefits remain uncertain.
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
-
11 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
May 2020
- Finished
-
Jul 2024
- 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
-
18 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: * Confirmed diagnosis of bilateral ET or ET-plus according to the Movement Disorders Society criteria. * Refractoriness to medication: at least two attempts at medical treatment with at least two groups of different medication (fundamentally propranolol and primidone), which were ineffective (insufficient tremor control or adverse effects). * Subjects of both sexes, older than 18 years old. * Sufficient competence to collaborate and comply with the study protocols. * Ability to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Clinically relevant cognitive decline which may interfere with the study. * Clinically relevant active psychiatric disorder. * Contraindication for general surgery or bilateral DBS. * Unsuitable electrode location according to neuroimaging. * Participation in other interventional study. * Cerebral atrophy (width of the third ventricle \>10 mm) or other anatomical anomalies that would interfere with optimal stereotactic localization.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Essential tremor (ET) 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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital (Neurotraumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital)
Granada, Granada, 18013, Spain
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.