Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a gold-standard symptomatic treatment option for Parkinson's disease (PD) and is also explored for a variety of other neurological disorders. The implantation of electrodes into deep brain areas has not only enabled the application of electrical stimuli, but has also provided researchers and clinicians with an unprecedented window to investigate aberrant neuronal activity right at the core of pathological brain circuits. Local field potentials (LFP) have already been readily investigated through externalised DBS electrode wires prior to internalisation and connection to an implantable neurostimulator. In the case of PD, motor symptoms have been evidenced to correlate with exaggerated beta oscillatory activity (13-35 Hz) in the LFP recorded from the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Firstly, beta activity recorded in the STN at rest in patients withdrawn from their medication has been correlated with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) across patients. Secondly, a reduction of signal power in the beta-band was correlated with clinical improvements of motor symptoms. Thirdly, the two main therapeutic strategies, the administration of L-Dopa, and high-frequency DBS both lead to a suppression of beta-synchronicity in the STN. Furthermore, beta-oscillations show fast and movement-dependent modulation over time and can serve as a biomarker and feedback signal to control the delivery of DBS. The investigators recently implemented deep brain electrical neurofeedback to provide real-time visual neurofeedback of pathological STN oscillations through externalised DBS electrodes and showed that PD patients were able to volitionally control and reduce subthalamic activity within a single 1 hour session. Moreover, neurofeedback-learnt strategies accelerated movements and could be retained in the short- and mid-term. Only recently, a newly developed neurostimulator, the Percept™ PC (Medtronic Neurological Division, Minneapolis, MN, USA), has been clinically approved, which can not only apply electrical impulses, but also enable the measurement and transmission of brain activity. This neurostimulator is now the first choice for implantations at the University Hospital Zurich and is used for a variety of neurological disorders. The investigators' goal is to investigate whether neurofeedback through a fully implanted deep brain stimulation device is possible and can lead to a better control of pathological oscillations as well as symptom mitigation. Having shown that endogenous control over deep brain oscillations is possible, the investigators will also test this novel therapeutic approach for pathologies other than PD that are also treated with DBS. Neurofeedback using implanted DBS electrodes will have the advantage of enabling longer and multiple-day training sessions, which the investigators hypothesise to have a larger impact on control over pathological deep brain oscillations and neurological symptoms, as such a fully implanted neurofeedback system no longer requires the externalisation of DBS wires and is as such no longer limited to the first two days after electrode implantation. All in all, the investigators will not exceed a total streaming time of 7 hours per patients (7 d of battery time), which the investigators deem justifiable with respect to a battery life of > 5 years. This proposed research is highly significant as it will help our understanding of various neurological diseases that are highly prevalent in society (PD being, for instance, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease) and might culminate in novel, endogenous treatment strategies. The overall risk for patients is minimal to non-existent, as stimulation parameters are unaffected and the intended changes in brain activity are self-induced while DBS stimulation is off.


Clinical Trial Description

n/a


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05101161
Study type Interventional
Source ETH Zurich
Contact Oliver Bichsel, MD, MSc ETH
Phone +41 44 510 72 34
Email oliver.bichsel@hest.ethz.ch
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date September 23, 2021
Completion date September 23, 2026

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT05415774 - Combined Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease N/A
Recruiting NCT04691661 - Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy Study of Radotinib in Parkinson's Disease Phase 2
Active, not recruiting NCT05754086 - A Multidimensional Study on Articulation Deficits in Parkinsons Disease
Completed NCT04045925 - Feasibility Study of the Taïso Practice in Parkinson's Disease N/A
Recruiting NCT04194762 - PARK-FIT. Treadmill vs Cycling in Parkinson´s Disease. Definition of the Most Effective Model in Gait Reeducation N/A
Completed NCT02705755 - TD-9855 Phase 2 in Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension (nOH) Phase 2
Terminated NCT03052712 - Validation and Standardization of a Battery Evaluation of the Socio-emotional Functions in Various Neurological Pathologies N/A
Recruiting NCT05830253 - Free-living Monitoring of Parkinson's Disease Using Smart Objects
Recruiting NCT03272230 - Assessment of Apathy in a Real-life Situation, With a Video and Sensors-based System N/A
Recruiting NCT06139965 - Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Comprehensive Coordination Scale in Parkinson's Patients
Completed NCT04580849 - Telerehabilitation Using a Dance Intervention in People With Parkinson's Disease N/A
Completed NCT04477161 - Effect of Ketone Esters in Parkinson's Disease N/A
Completed NCT03980418 - Evaluation of a Semiconductor Camera for the DaTSCAN™ Exam N/A
Recruiting NCT04788693 - Effects of Gait Rehabilitation With Motor Imagery in People With Parkinson's Disease N/A
Completed NCT04942392 - Digital Dance for People With Parkinson's Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic N/A
Terminated NCT03446833 - LFP Beta aDBS Feasibility Study N/A
Completed NCT03497884 - Individualized Precise Localization of rTMS on Primary Motor Area N/A
Completed NCT05538455 - Investigating ProCare4Life Impact on Quality of Life of Elderly Subjects With Neurodegenerative Diseases N/A
Recruiting NCT04997642 - Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Clinical Database
Completed NCT04117737 - A Pilot Study of Virtual Reality and Antigravity Treadmill for Gait Improvement in Parkinson N/A