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NCT Number: NCT07409207

Neurophysiology of Reward Signaling in Parkinson's Disease

The goal of this study is to learn more about the brain activity underlying Parkinson's disease risk taking and reward seeking behaviors. The investigators will utilize neural recordings from corticostriatal structures performed during deep brain stimulation surgery to measure neural activity underlying nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

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Key information

Conditions

Parkinson Disease Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Parkinsonian Disorders Synucleinopathies

Age range

40 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville, Tennessee, 37212, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Lucas Chang, BA

CONTACT

[email protected]

615-421-3046

Sarah Bick, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Scheduled to undergo deep brain stimulation surgery under local anesthesia at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Planned clinical electrode trajectory that contacts caudate
  • Age greater than or equal to 40
  • Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or other movement disorder
  • Able to participate in intraoperative testing
  • English speaking

Exclusion criteria

  • Age less than 40
  • Not able to participate in intraoperative testing (for example unable to comprehend instructions or follow directions)

Treatment and study plan

Neurophysiology recordings

Other

Neurophysiology recordings will be performed during deep brain stimulation surgery and their relationship to performance on a gambling task evaluated

Neural stimulation

Other

Neural stimulation will be delivered during a gambling task and its impact on task performance quantified

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in caudate DLPFC beta coherence

    Time frame: Baseline to end of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), approximately 3-4 hours

    Caudate DLPFC coherence will be computed at rest and during the gambling task and correlated with cognitive metrics

  2. Changes in gambling task performance with neural stimulation

    Time frame: Baseline to end of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), approximately 3-4 hours

    The gambling task will involve seeing a series of cards presented on the screen and pressing a button to respond with a bet. Gambling task performance will be compared between stimulated and non stimulated blocks and between stimulation targets

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in beta power with neural stimulation

    Time frame: Baseline to end of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery, approximately 3-4 hours

    Beta power will be computed and compared between stimulation on and off conditions for different targets

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Lucas Chang, BA

CONTACT

[email protected]

615-421-3046

Sarah Bick, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

615-343-9822

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 13, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 12, 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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