Brain zaps for Parkinson's: tiny trial tests implanted electrodes
NCT ID NCT06919822
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early trial tests whether a surgically implanted device that stimulates a specific brain network (called SCAN) can improve movement problems in people with Parkinson's disease. Three adults with Parkinson's will receive the implant and be followed for 12 months. The study is very small and open-label, so it is mainly checking safety and whether the approach is worth studying further.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- epidural brain stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to improve motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, tiny trial with only 3 people. It is open-label (no placebo), so results may not be reliable. Surgery and brain stimulation carry risks like infection or side effects.
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 3 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
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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40 to 75 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: * Diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) according to the revised clinical diagnostic criteria of the International Movement Disorder Society (MDS) (2015 version) or the Chinese Parkinson's Disease Diagnostic Criteria (2016 version). * Age between 40 and 75 years, with a minimum age of 40 years at the time of diagnosis. * Any gender, including both male and female patients. * Hoehn-Yahr staging between 2 and 4 (inclusive). * Disease duration of 5 years or more. * Responding effectively to levodopa-based drug therapy with a minimum of 30% improvement in the levodopa loading test. * Presence of motor fluctuations with or without anisocoria despite optimal drug treatment. * Stable on medication for at least the past 1 month prior to screening and surgery. * Ability to understand the trial and willingness to sign an informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of Parkinsonian superimposed syndrome or secondary Parkinson's disease. * Presence of intracranial structural variants or other abnormalities that may interfere with TMS or surgical treatment, as detected by MRI or CT. * Implantation of metallic medical devices such as deep brain stimulators, cochlear implants, vagus nerve stimulators, etc., which may affect MRI examination and TMS treatment. * Contraindications to MRI scanning, including claustrophobia, tattoos, or magnetic metal-containing implants (to be confirmed with specialists). * History of comorbid epilepsy or having first-degree relatives with a history of epilepsy. * Receipt of other neuromodulation treatments (e.g., TMS, transcranial electrical stimulation, transcranial ultrasound stimulation) within the 1 months prior to enrollment. * Contraindications to neurosurgery, such as bleeding or coagulation disorders. * Presence of severe organic diseases, including heart failure, renal failure, or malignancies. * Cognitive impairment as indicated by MMSE score of 24 or below. * Significant speech impairment, hearing impairment, or visual impairment that limits cooperation with testing. * Severe depression (HAMD-17 score of 24 or above) or severe anxiety (HAMA score of 29 or above). * Diagnosed psychiatric disorders based on DSM-V criteria or any psychological issues that may interfere with the study protocol. * Alcohol or substance abuse. * Active infections including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), syphilis, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection as determined by the investigator. * Any other medical abnormalities deemed by the investigator to be unsuitable for participation in the trial. * Inability to complete follow-up visits due to geographical or other reasons. * Women of childbearing age who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or intend to become pregnant during the trial. * Participation in other clinical trials concurrently.
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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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The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University
RECRUITINGFuzhou, Fujian, 350005, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Giving Parkinson's patients a say may boost their Brain's ability to learn movement
- Brain scans probe why some Parkinson's patients freeze Mid-Step
- Can tango rewire the brain? dance program tested for Parkinson's and dementia
- Can a workout after walking practice help Parkinson's patients learn better?