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Optimizing Deep Brain Stimulation to Improve Visuomotor Function in Parkinson's Disease

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
No age limits stated
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

  • Procedures mentioned: MRI scans

Only what the study's summary and detailed description on ClinicalTrials.gov say. Time periods may describe the whole study or a part of it — ask the study team what applies to you.

Show the study's own words
  • "Once the investigators identify these characteristic changes, the investigators will correlate them with the stimulated anatomical location within the same patient's brain determined using combination of novel computer simulations of DBS and the patient's own MRI."
Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study looks at how deep brain stimulation (DBS) affects how the eyes work together and focus on objects at different distances. It is for people with Parkinson’s disease who have DBS on both sides of a brain area called the subthalamic nucleus (STN). The goal is to find stimulation locations and settings that help eye control while still treating movement symptoms.

Inability to align and refocus the eyes on the objects at different depths, i.e., vergence impairment and strabismus, frequently affects the quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. The investigators study aims to understand the location-specific effects of subthalamic region deep brain stimulation on vergence and strabismus by integrating the patient-specific deep brain stimulation models and high-resolution eye-tracking measures. The knowledge gained will allow the investigators to find the most beneficial stimulation location and parameters for improving binocular coordination, strabismus, and vergence while preserving the ability to treat motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Have Parkinson’s disease and DBS on both sides of the STN brain area.
  • Have MRI images from before surgery that include a specific scan type called T1-weighted gradient-echo.
  • Be able to get an MRI or CT scan after surgery.
  • Have Parkinson’s disease at stage 2–4 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale when off medicine. This scale measures how much the disease affects movement and balance.
  • Have stable Parkinson’s medicine doses and DBS settings.

Who can't join

  • Have had surgery for Parkinson’s disease other than DBS.
  • Have dementia, a condition that affects memory and thinking.
  • Have untreated depression or anxiety that is serious enough to need care.
  • Have signs of atypical parkinsonism, a condition with symptoms like Parkinson’s disease but different features.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Parkinson's disease with bilateral STN DBS * Availability of pre-operative MR images (with a T1-weighted, gradient-echo sequence) and ability to get post-operative MRI or CT scans * Hoehn and Yahr stage 2-4 when off medication, and a stable antiparkinsonian medication regimen and DBS parameter settings Exclusion Criteria: * Previous surgical therapy for Parkinson's disease (other than DBS) * Dementia * Clinically significant untreated depression or anxiety * Clinical features suggestive of atypical parkinsonism

Study sites (1)

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