New ultrasound technique could quiet hand tremors without drugs
NCT ID NCT05308368
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether ultrasound imaging can help understand and suppress tremors in people with Parkinson's disease or essential tremor. Researchers used ultrasound to watch hand muscles during grasping motions and developed models to predict tremor. They then used mild electrical stimulation to try to reduce the tremor. The goal was to see if this approach could lead to better, non-invasive tremor control in the future.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a non-invasive, drug-free way to suppress tremors using electrical stimulation guided by ultrasound imaging.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study (12 people) focused on developing and testing models, not a proven treatment. The approach may not work in real-world settings or for all tremor types.
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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12 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2021
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- 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 90 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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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 (Tremor Group): 1. At least 40 years of age, and no more than 90 years of age. 2. Meet UK Parkinson's disease brain bank diagnostic criteria 3. Have clinical evidence of rest tremor of one or both upper extremities defined as involuntary, rhythmic oscillations about any joint within the upper extremities 4. Tremor amplitude must be at minimum 1 cm as determined by expert opinion by a movement disorders specialist. 5. Due to the nature of measurements occurring during a grasp maneuver, the tremor must be deemed to become re-emergent with a fixed posture. This shall be defined by development of postural tremor that does not begin immediately upon grasping the vertical object, but instead with a delay in development of oscillatory movement of at least half a second as timed by a stopwatch, and that may grow in amplitude over seconds to maximum amplitude without changing the force of the grasp at first. Note that within-individual intermittency and variability of tremor can be influenced by anxiety, stress, cold temperature, and fatigue. In an effort to reduce this variability, we will have subjects perform tasks in a comfortable area, providing up to 20 minutes to allow them to relax in a temperature-neutral location, and reduce anxiety Exclusion Criteria (Tremor Group): 1. Muscle weakness as determined by Medical Research Council grade less than 5/5 on direct testing in the upper limb afflicted with rest tremor 2. Infection at the upper limb at time of assessment 3. Pre-existing, concomitant neuromuscular or cerebellar disorders 4. Use of medications that can alter the function of the neuromuscular junction. 5. Those with concomitant essential tremor as determined by history or confirmed by movement disorders specialist prior to assessments. Inclusion Criteria (Able Body): Subjects will fall under the able body category if they exhibit no movement disorders and can perform grasping motion with no inhibition.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Engineering Building III
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27606, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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