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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT03815656

Closed Loop DBS Implanted RC+S Study

This study involves patients who are already planning to have deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery to treat the symptoms of severe Parkinson's Disease (PD). The study has two goals:

1. to evaluate the effectiveness of implanting DBS electrodes in the two most common locations for DBS (subthalamic nucleus (STN), and globus pallidus interna (GPi)), instead of just one electrode, on each side of the brain; and 2. to develop an adaptive DBS system using brain signals measured from these two electrodes.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Duke University Medical Center

Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is a small, first in man, clinical feasibility trial for patients with severe Parkinson's Disease (PD), who are already clinically eligible for deep brain stimulation (DBS) with two goals:

  • to compare efficacy from two common sites of DBS (subthalamic nucleus (STN), and globus pallidus interna (GPi)) through the implantation of dual DBS electrodes on each side of the brain; and
  • to develop a closed loop DBS system using evoked and spontaneous potentials derived from these two electrodes.

The study will involve bilateral dual DBS electrode placement in clinically standard locations (ie, STN and GPi) unilaterally or (more often) bilaterally, the placement of the RC+S Medtronic research implantable pulse generator (IPG), and a commitment to return for both extensive postoperative programming and testing to define clinical efficacy and separate research days to develop the closed loop approach. In addition, patients will undergo intraoperative research using temporary percutaneous extensions to the DBS electrode(s) and DBS lead cannula after implantation to confirm the electrode location and to identify what the signals will look like during later chronic recordings through the research IPG.

The research RC+S IPG includes both ordinary DBS stimulation as well as a recording system that simultaneously measures the DBS local evoked potential (DLEP) and/or local field potential (LFP) responses from either the same or a second DBS electrode.

In a separate cohort, we are enrolling healthy volunteers as blinded raters of audio recordings made by people with Parkinson's disease and without Parkinson's disease to study whether different features of speech patterns are specific to PD and whether there are measurable differences in these speech features when PD participants are on different deep brain stimulation settings. These ratings do not contribute to the primary or secondary endpoints of this study.

Study design details listed in this record are specific to the Implanted RC+S clinical trial cohort.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Implanted RC+S arm Inclusion / Exclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria

  • able to give informed consent
  • diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and is considered a surgical candidate for DBS
  • has medication-related side effects from levodopa (i.e., dyskinesias, on-off fluctuations)
  • has off-on improvement with levodopa of at least 30%
  • is available for follow-up visits for length of study

Exclusion criteria

  • is not safe surgical candidate for DBS
  • has severe neurological injury or disease other than Parkinson's Disease
  • has condition requiring repeated MRI scans
  • has untreated, clinically significant depression
  • has an electrical or electromagnetic implant
  • had a prior thalamotomy or surgical ablation procedure
  • has dementia interfering with ability to comply with study requirements or give informed consent
  • abuses drugs or alcohol
  • has a history of seizures
  • has any metallic implants
  • is pregnant

Speech Rater Inclusion / Exclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria

  • able to give informed consent
  • has no hearing impairment (by self-report)
  • is a native English speaker

Exclusion criteria

  • is a speech therapist or clinician in a related field
  • studies linguistics / logopedics

Treatment and study plan

STN alone

Device

DBS stimulation of STN alone

GPi alone

Device

DBS stimulation of GPi alone

STN + GPi

Device

cooperative DBS stimulation of STN and GPi sites

Closed-loop stimulation

Device

adaptive DBS stimulation of STN and/or GPi sites

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score: "on" medication, "on" stimulation at 12 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS score for subject from baseline (pre-surgery) "on" medication state to "on" medication and "on" stimulation state at 12 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. The scores from four subscales (1. Mentation, Behavior and Mood, 2. Activities of Daily Living, 3. Motor Examination, and 4. Complications of Therapy) are summed to determine the total UPDRS score. Total scores range from 0 (no disability) to 199 (total disability).

  2. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score: "on" medication, "on" stimulation at 24 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 24 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS score for subject from baseline (pre-surgery) "on" medication state to "on" medication and "on" stimulation state at 24 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. The scores from four subscales (1. Mentation, Behavior and Mood, 2. Activities of Daily Living, 3. Motor Examination, and 4. Complications of Therapy) are summed to determine the total UPDRS score. Total scores range from 0 (no disability) to 199 (total disability).

  3. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score: "on" medication, "on" stimulation at 48 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 48 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS score for subject from baseline (pre-surgery) "on" medication state to "on" medication and "on" stimulation state at 48 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. The scores from four subscales (1. Mentation, Behavior and Mood, 2. Activities of Daily Living, 3. Motor Examination, and 4. Complications of Therapy) are summed to determine the total UPDRS score. Total scores range from 0 (no disability) to 199 (total disability).

  4. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score: "on" medication, "on" stimulation at 72 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 72 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS score for subject from baseline (pre-surgery) "on" medication state to "on" medication and "on" stimulation state at 72 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. The scores from four subscales (1. Mentation, Behavior and Mood, 2. Activities of Daily Living, 3. Motor Examination, and 4. Complications of Therapy) are summed to determine the total UPDRS score. Total scores range from 0 (no disability) to 199 (total disability).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, subscale III: Motor Evaluation (UPDRS-III) score: "off" medication, "on" stimulation at 12 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS-III (Motor Evaluation) score from baseline (pre-surgery) "off" medication state to "off" medication and "on" stimulation state at 12 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. Subscale III, Motor Examination, scores range from 0 (no disability) to 108 (total disability).

  2. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, subscale III: Motor Evaluation (UPDRS-III) score: "off" medication, "on" stimulation at 24 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 24 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS-III (Motor Evaluation) score from baseline (pre-surgery) "off" medication state to "off" medication and "on" stimulation state at 24 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. Subscale III, Motor Examination, scores range from 0 (no disability) to 108 (total disability).

  3. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, subscale III: Motor Evaluation (UPDRS-III) score: "off" medication, "on" stimulation at 48 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 48 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS-III (Motor Evaluation) score from baseline (pre-surgery) "off" medication state to "off" medication and "on" stimulation state at 48 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. Subscale III, Motor Examination, scores range from 0 (no disability) to 108 (total disability).

  4. Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, subscale III: Motor Evaluation (UPDRS-III) score: "off" medication, "on" stimulation at 72 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 72 months after IPG implant

    Change in UPDRS-III (Motor Evaluation) score from baseline (pre-surgery) "off" medication state to "off" medication and "on" stimulation state at 72 months after IPG implant. The UPDRS is a scale to measure the degree of a patient's disability due to Parkinson's Disease. Subscale III, Motor Examination, scores range from 0 (no disability) to 108 (total disability).

  5. Change in percentage of waking hours with good "on" time at 12 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 months after IPG implant

    Change in percentage of waking hours subject experienced "on" time without troubling dyskinesias, based on 3-day motor diary, compared to pre-surgery baseline.

  6. Change in percentage of waking hours with good "on" time at 24 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 24 months after IPG implant

    Change in percentage of waking hours subject experienced "on" time without troubling dyskinesias, based on 3-day motor diary, compared to pre-surgery baseline.

  7. Change in percentage of waking hours with good "on" time at 48 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 48 months after IPG implant

    Change in percentage of waking hours subject experienced "on" time without troubling dyskinesias, based on 3-day motor diary, compared to pre-surgery baseline.

  8. Change in percentage of waking hours with good "on" time at 72 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 72 months after IPG implant

    Change in percentage of waking hours subject experienced "on" time without troubling dyskinesias, based on 3-day motor diary, compared to pre-surgery baseline.

  9. Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) patient satisfaction score at 12 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 months after IPG implant

    Change in PDQ-39 score compared to pre-surgery baseline. The PDQ-39 is a 39-item self-reporting questionnaire to assess the impact of Parkinson's Disease on quality of life. The PDQ-39 is divided into 8 dimensions (1. Mobility, 2. Activities of Daily Life, 3. Emotional Well-being, 4. Stigma, 5. Social Support, 6. Cognition, 7. Communication, and 8. Bodily Discomfort). The total score is the sum of the dimension total scores divided by 8. Scores range from 0 (better quality of life) to 100 (worse quality of life).

  10. Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) patient satisfaction score at 24 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 24 months after IPG implant

    Change in PDQ-39 score compared to pre-surgery baseline. The PDQ-39 is a 39-item self-reporting questionnaire to assess the impact of Parkinson's Disease on quality of life. The PDQ-39 is divided into 8 dimensions (1. Mobility, 2. Activities of Daily Life, 3. Emotional Well-being, 4. Stigma, 5. Social Support, 6. Cognition, 7. Communication, and 8. Bodily Discomfort). The total score is the sum of the dimension total scores divided by 8. Scores range from 0 (better quality of life) to 100 (worse quality of life).

  11. Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) patient satisfaction score at 48 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 48 months after IPG implant

    Change in PDQ-39 score compared to pre-surgery baseline. The PDQ-39 is a 39-item self-reporting questionnaire to assess the impact of Parkinson's Disease on quality of life. The PDQ-39 is divided into 8 dimensions (1. Mobility, 2. Activities of Daily Life, 3. Emotional Well-being, 4. Stigma, 5. Social Support, 6. Cognition, 7. Communication, and 8. Bodily Discomfort). The total score is the sum of the dimension total scores divided by 8. Scores range from 0 (better quality of life) to 100 (worse quality of life).

  12. Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) patient satisfaction score at 72 months after IPG implant.

    Time frame: baseline and 72 months after IPG implant

    Change in PDQ-39 score compared to pre-surgery baseline. The PDQ-39 is a 39-item self-reporting questionnaire to assess the impact of Parkinson's Disease on quality of life. The PDQ-39 is divided into 8 dimensions (1. Mobility, 2. Activities of Daily Life, 3. Emotional Well-being, 4. Stigma, 5. Social Support, 6. Cognition, 7. Communication, and 8. Bodily Discomfort). The total score is the sum of the dimension total scores divided by 8. Scores range from 0 (better quality of life) to 100 (worse quality of life).

Other outcomes

  1. Intelligibility Rating of Recorded Sentences

    Time frame: 1 hour

    Rated by volunteer blinded raters on a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being completely unintelligible and 10 being completely intelligible.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Dennis Turner, M.D.

Other

Collaborators

  • Duke University
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Registry information

Official study title

An Integrated Biomarker Approach to Personalized, Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson Disease [Formerly: Scalar Closed-Loop STN/GPi DBS Based on Evoked and Spontaneous Potentials (Permanently Implanted Medtronic RC+S Studies)]

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 24, 2019
Registry last updated
Feb 18, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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