NCT06259708Completed
Using Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound to Modulate Deep Brain Areas for Tremor Control in Parkinson's Disease Patients.
Effectiveness of Targeting the Zona Incerta (ZI) for Tremor Control in Parkinson's Disease Patients
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 30 Apr 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
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.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 20 (actual)
- First submitted
- 26 Jan 2024
- Start date
- 1 Mar 2024
- Primary completion date
- 17 Jun 2025
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Diseases
- Parkinson disease
- NCT number
- NCT06259708
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 20
- From 1 Mar 2024 to the primary completion date, 17 Jun 2025
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Change in Parkinson's medication with the last 2 weeks
- Concurrent treatment for PD with Duodopa
- Concurrent treatment for PD with deep brain stimulation (DBS)
- Ear or eye implant, including cochlear implant
- Implanted drug infusion pump
- Surgery, piercings or tattoos (including tattooed eyeliner) in the last six weeks
- Medication releasing skin patches (i.e. nicotine, birth control, nitroglycerine)
Other illness
- History of essential tremor
- Dementia preventing informed consent
- Neurological disease other than PD, including Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, Huntington's disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain tumor, progressive supranuclear palsy, seizure disorder, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis, or history of significant head trauma
- Unstable medical conditions or serious disease/conditions (e.g., cancer undergoing active treatment, poorly controlled diabetes)
- Cardiac pacemaker, wires, or defibrillator
- Metal in eye or orbit, including the history of any eye injury involving metal fragments and increased risk due to (history of) working as a metal worker (grinding, machining, or welding)
- Artificial heart valve
- History of claustrophobia
Other
- Atypical Parkinsonism
- Thickness of the temporal bone \< 7 mm
- Individuals should also not participate if they have any of the following contraindications for undergoing fMRI scanning:
- Ferromagnetic aneurysm clip
- Possibility of pregnancy
- Brain aneurysm clip
- Electrical stimulator to nerves or bones
- Coil, catheter, or filter in any blood vessel
- Orthopedic hardware (artificial joint, plate, screw, rod)
- Other metallic prostheses
- Shrapnel, bullets, or other metal fragments
Who the study is looking for
- Confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
- Resting tremor score (MDS-UPDRS III 3.17 Rest Tremore Amplitude (RUE or LUE)) ≥ 2
- Between the ages of 40-80 years
- Hoehn and Yahr stage between 1-3 (mild to moderate PD) in the "ON" state
- Patients who are willing to have a partial (\~8 cm diameter circular area above the ear) hair shaving.
Age in the registry: 40 years to 80 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of British Columbia, DMCBH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Vancouver | Canada | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.