Actively Recruiting

Phase Not Applicable
Age: 19Years - 90Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
NCT06899022

Attention and Eye Movement in Parkinson's Disease

Led by University of Nebraska · Updated on 2026-05-05

138

Participants Needed

1

Research Sites

149 weeks

Total Duration

On this page

Sponsors

U

University of Nebraska

Lead Sponsor

N

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Collaborating Sponsor

AI-Summary

What this Trial Is About

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).

CONDITIONS

Official Title

Attention and Eye Movement in Parkinson's Disease

Who Can Participate

Age: 19Years - 90Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

You may qualify if you...

  • Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study
  • Ability to express perceptual judgments using a button press or computer mouse
  • Age between 19 and 90 years
  • Diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, or dystonia for DBS participants
  • Scheduled for new implantation of a therapeutic DBS device targeting STN, VIM, or GPi for DBS participants
  • Age-matched healthy controls without PD, ET, or DT
  • Willingness and ability to engage in tasks during awake DBS surgery for applicable participants
  • Willingness to undergo and tolerate acute DBS manipulations for applicable participants
Not Eligible

You will not qualify if you...

  • Corrected visual acuity insufficient to judge face stimuli
  • Inability to understand or complete task instructions
  • Insufficient control of motor symptoms to perform tasks requiring button press or mouse use for DBS participants
  • History of neurodegenerative disorder for healthy controls
  • Not undergoing awake DBS implantation for applicable participants
  • Failure of DBS to achieve therapeutic effect on motor symptoms for applicable participants

AI-Screening

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Trial Site Locations

Total: 1 location

1

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198

Actively Recruiting

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Research Team

C

Christopher K Kovach, PhD

CONTACT

D

Dulce Maroni, PhD

CONTACT

How is the study designed?

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Masking

NONE

Allocation

NA

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Number of Arms

1

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