Brain pacemaker tweak may ease Parkinson's without fogging thinking
NCT ID NCT04650932
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a new way to use deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease. Standard DBS helps movement but can sometimes cause thinking or mood problems. The researchers will add low-frequency stimulation to a different part of the brain while keeping the usual high-frequency stimulation. Ten adults with Parkinson's who already have a DBS system will take part. The goal is to see if this dual approach is safe, tolerable, and better at preserving thinking and mood while still controlling movement symptoms.
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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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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 years and older
- 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: * Individuals who are 18 years and older * Individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease who previously underwent implantation with the Boston Scientific VerciseTM DBS system * Individuals who have been implanted with the Boston Scientific VerciseTM DBS system for at least 3 months * Individuals diagnosed with advanced PD who had bilateral dorsal subthalamic nucleus DBS surgery, as standard of care for motor improvement, with distal contacts of the electrodes implanted into the ventral STN Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals unable to provide consent and/or lack capacity to consent * Individuals diagnosed with any cognitive or physical impairments that would limit their ability to participate in the cognitive testing * Individuals who score below 15 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test-Blind * Individuals who score above 20 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale * Pregnant women (note: pregnant women are not candidates for DBS surgery), and prisoners * Non-English speaking individuals. Cognitive tasks will only be conducted in English.
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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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UC Davis Health
RECRUITINGSacramento, California, 95817, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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