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Using Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound to Modulate Deep Brain Areas for Tremor Control in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

NCT06259708 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 20

Last updated 2026-04-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Researchers have found that a treatment called Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) can effectively reduce tremors in patients with essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD). They noticed that ET patients initially responded better to the treatment than PD patients, but by the end of the treatment, both groups showed similar improvement. The study also suggested that targeting a specific area of the brain called the Zona Incerta (ZI) may be more beneficial for PD patients. Based on these findings, the investigators plan to use low-intensity focused ultrasound to directly modulate the ZI area and investigate the mechanisms of reduced tremors in PD patients. The investigators will also compare the effectiveness of this approach with the current target, the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus. The investigators will use a simulation model to determine the best ultrasound parameters for this new approach and will also examine the impact of the treatment on the brain's network activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Success of this project may lay the foundation for finding a more effective target for MRgFUS treatment of PD tremor.

Conditions

  • Parkinson Disease

Interventions

DEVICE

Low intensity focused ultrasound

Sonication with low intensity focused ultrasound in two deep brain structures (ZI and Vim).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Focused Ultrasound Foundation

    collaborator OTHER

  • University of British Columbia

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Hongchae Baek, PhD · Food and Drugs Administration

  • Soojin Lee, PhD · University of British Columbia

  • Martin J. McKeown, MD, FRCPC · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
40 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-03-01
Primary Completion
2025-06-17
Completion
2025-06-17

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06259708 on ClinicalTrials.gov