Brain pacemaker tamed violent outbursts in first human test
NCT ID NCT07315685
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a brain implant called deep brain stimulation (DBS) to help six adults with severe aggression that hasn't improved with medication or other therapies. Participants have either autism or schizophrenia and live in locked psychiatric units. The implant targets a brain area called the Sano triangle to calm aggressive behavior. The goal is to see if it's safe and can reduce aggression enough to improve quality of life.
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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 6 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 70 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.
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: * Aged between 18 and 70 inclusive * Patients who have been in isolation in a secure psychiatric unit for at least 50% of the time over a period of more than 6 months prior to inclusion * A GAF score \<21 * An ICAP score \<40 * Other stable medical conditions * No contraindications to brain imaging (MRI and CT) * No contraindications to taking medication for travel (loxapine and diazepam) * No contraindications to surgery * Adult who has read and understood the information letter and signed the consent form. A psychiatrist, independent of the study and treatment, will examine the patient and determine their ability to read and understand the consent form before signing. If this is not the case, authorisation may be given by the guardianship judge in accordance with Article L. 1111-6. * An adult assisted by their guardian or by the judge who has read and understood the information letter and signed the consent form (if the patient is under guardianship). If the guardian does not wish to give an opinion or make a decision for the patient, the guardianship judge may be consulted in accordance with Article L1223-1. * Patients covered by social health insurance (except AME) * Women of childbearing age (a woman is considered to be of childbearing age, i.e. fertile, after menarche and until she reaches menopause, unless she is permanently infertile) using at least minimally effective contraception (i.e. at least: oral progestogen-only contraception, where inhibition of ovulation is not the primary mode of action, male or female condoms with or without spermicide, diaphragm, diaphragm or sponge with spermicide) for at least 1 month and throughout the study, as well as a negative urinary pregnancy test for β-HCG at inclusion. * Surgically sterile women (hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy and bilateral oophorectomy) * Menopausal women: Post-menopausal status is defined as the absence of menstruation for 12 months without any other medical cause. Elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in the post-menopausal interval may be used to confirm post-menopausal status in women who are not using hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy. However, in the absence of 12 months of amenorrhoea, a single FSH measurement is insufficient. For schizophrenic patients * All previous treatments have failed, including the combination of clozapine (for at least 6 months with clozapine levels \> 350 ng/mL) + ECT (minimum 20 sessions) * Have had at least two clozapine potentiations among the following: lithium, valproic acid, beta-blockers, other antipsychotics. For ASD patients with or without intellectual disability \- All recommended psychoeducational measures must have been attempted with failure of the following treatments: risperidone, aripiprazole, clozapine, naltrexone, beta-blockers given for at least three months at the maximum tolerated dose. Exclusion Criteria: * Minors * Contraindications to surgery and anaesthesia * Contraindications to the use of the Medical Device (diathermy, certain magnetic resonance imaging procedures, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), (see section 'Contraindications' in the 'Information for Prescribers' manual for the implanted neurostimulator) * Contraindications to MRI and CT scans (cardiac or neural pacemakers, ferromagnetic surgical clips, implants and metallic objects, intraocular foreign bodies, pregnancy, claustrophobia, cardiac or neural pacemakers, ferromagnetic surgical clips, implants and metallic objects, intraocular foreign bodies, etc.) * Other medical problems interfering with the protocol and surgery * Pregnant women
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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
2 sites. 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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Ap-Hp Pitie Salpetriere
Paris, France
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CH du ROUVRAY
Rouvray, 76301, France
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