Brain pacemaker surgery tested for Parkinson's and tremor
NCT ID NCT01581580
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 02, 2026 · Updated 12 times
Summary
This study is testing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for people with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, or dystonia that doesn't improve enough with medication. DBS uses a device like a pacemaker to send electrical pulses to specific brain areas that control movement. Researchers will track changes in movement, memory, and quality of life over several months after surgery.
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 and surgical procedure
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could confirm DBS as a reliable way to control severe movement symptoms and improve daily function for people with Parkinson's, tremor, or dystonia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an ongoing study with no phase designation, so results are not yet confirmed. DBS surgery carries risks like infection, bleeding, or device malfunction, and benefits vary by person.
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
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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
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2011
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: To be eligible for entry into the study, candidates must meet all the following criteria: Be 18 years of age or older. Able to provide informed consent. Have a clinical diagnosis of one of the following as confirmed by the NIH movement disorders clinic team and the multi-disciplinary DBS surgical conference, and deemed as appropriate for the use of Deep Brain Stimulation therapy: * idiopathic PD not adequately controlled with medication or * primary dystonia that is medically refractory, or * ET that is not adequately controlled by medications or constitutes a significant functional disability. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Candidates will be excluded if they: Are unable or unwilling to give informed consent to the research procedures.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, 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
- Walking memory tests may reveal early Parkinson's clues
- Hair-Thin electrodes tested to Fine-Tune brain stimulation
- Brain training through implanted electrodes aims to quiet Parkinson's tremors
- Colon tissue may hold clues to telling Parkinson's apart from Look-Alike diseases
- A genetic roadmap for Parkinson's: testing thousands to unlock clues