NCT06899022 Attention and Eye Movement in Parkinson's Disease
| NCT ID | NCT06899022 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | University of Nebraska |
| Condition | Essential Tremor |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 138 participants |
| Start Date | 2025-09-22 |
| Primary Completion | 2028-02 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
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What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 138 participants in total. It began in 2025-09-22 with a primary completion date of 2028-02.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
The goal of this observational and interventional study is to understand how therapeutic deep brain stimulation (DBS) affects attention, perception and cognition in participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) and non-PD movement disorders, including essential tremor (ET) and dystonia (DT). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does impaired control of attention and eye movement in PD alter how social cues are perceived and interpreted? * Does therapeutic DBS improve or worsen attentional and perceptual deficits for social cues in PD, ET and DT? * Can DBS be optimized to restore normal attentional control in PD while remaining an effective therapy for other aspects of the disorder. * What do parts of the brain targeted by DBS contribute to the control of attention? Using an eye tracking camera, investigators will study how participants with PD, ET and DT look at and perceive facial expressions of emotion before and after starting DBS therapy, in comparison to a group of healthy participants without ET, PD, DT or DBS. Participants with PD, ET and DT will see and rate morphed facial expressions on a computer screen in three conditions: * Before starting DBS therapy (over approximately 1 hour). * In the operating room, during the standard procedure to implant DBS electrodes, while the participant is awake (for no more than 15 minutes). * After starting DBS therapy, with brief experimental changes of DBS stimulation level and frequency (over approximately 1 hour).
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria * All Participants (Aim 1): * Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study * Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider * Age 19 - 90 years * DBS Participants (Aim 1): * Diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) or dystonia (DT). * Scheduled for new implantation of a therapeutic DBS device targeted to subthalamic nucleus (STN), ventral intermediate nucleus of thalamus (VIM) or internal globus pallidus (GPi) * Comparison Participants (Aim 1): o Selection by age matching to participants in PD group * Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) and dystonia (DT) Participants (Aim 2): * Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study * Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider * Age 19 - 90 years * Scheduled for awake DBS implantation with clinical micro-electrode recordings (MER) * Willing and able to engage in tasks during an awake surgical procedure * Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) and dystonia (DT) Participants (Aim 3): * Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study * Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider * Age 19 - 90 years * Willing to undergo acute manipulations of DBS * Able to tolerate acute changes of DBS Exclusion Criteria * All Participants (Aim 1): * Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli * Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements * DBS Participants (Aim 1): o Insufficient therapeutic control of motor symptoms to engage in tasks requiring button press or use of a mouse to control a slider * Healthy Comparison Participants (Aim 1): o History of neurodegenerative disorder * Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) and dystonia (DT) Participants (Aim 2): * Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli * Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements * Not undergoing awake DBS implantation * Uncorrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli * Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) and dystonia (DT) Participants (Aim 3): * Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli * Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements * Failure of DBS to achieve a therapeutic effect on motor symptoms
Contact & Investigator
Christopher K Kovach, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
University of Nebraska
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT06899022 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 19 Years or older, up to 90 Years, studying Essential Tremor. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT06899022 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT06899022 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at ckovach@unmc.edu for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT06899022 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Omaha, United States.
Who is sponsoring the NCT06899022 clinical trial?
NCT06899022 is sponsored by University of Nebraska. The principal investigator is Christopher K Kovach, PhD at University of Nebraska. The trial plans to enroll 138 participants.