Actively Recruiting
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
Eligibility Criteria
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
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
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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