Recruiting · registry status

Testing brain stimulation at two different speeds

Researchers are studying stimulation that uses two frequencies in people with Parkinson’s who receive implanted brain stimulation.

Testing a treatment or activity · Study reference: NCT04650932

Plain-language introduction written with AI from the registry; not independently checked by a clinician. Read the original details below ↓

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Who can join?

Age 18 years and over · Does not accept healthy volunteers

These are starting points, not the full rules. The research team can tell you whether the study is right for your situation.

Read all the rules for taking part

Sex eligibility reported by registry: all

Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals who are 18 years and older * Individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease who previously underwent implantation with the Boston Scientific VerciseTM DBS system * Individuals who have been implanted with the Boston Scientific VerciseTM DBS system for at least 3 months * Individuals diagnosed with advanced PD who had bilateral dorsal subthalamic nucleus DBS surgery, as standard of care for motor improvement, with distal contacts of the electrodes implanted into the ventral STN Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals unable to provide consent and/or lack capacity to consent * Individuals diagnosed with any cognitive or physical impairments that would limit their ability to participate in the cognitive testing * Individuals who score below 15 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test-Blind * Individuals who score above 20 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale * Pregnant women (note: pregnant women are not candidates for DBS surgery), and prisoners * Non-English speaking individuals. Cognitive tasks will only be conducted in English.

Full study name & original research details

Official study title

Dual Frequency, Dual Region Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus in Parkinson's Disease

Short title used by the registry

Dual Frequency Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Original description

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the dorsal region of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is very effective for reducing motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Modeling studies suggest that this therapy may result in current spread into the ventral STN, causing altered cognitive processes. As a result, current stimulation parameters often lead to worsening in verbal fluency, executive function, and, particularly, cognitive control. There is evidence suggesting that low frequency oscillatory activity occurs across brain circuits important in integrating information for cognition. Preclinical studies and human recording studies indicate these low frequency theta oscillations drive cognitive control during cognitive tasks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of low frequency stimulation (LFS) of the ventral STN alongside standard high frequency stimulation (HFS) of the dorsal STN in patients with PD.

Conditions reported: Parkinson Disease

Study type: Interventional
Interventions: Deep brain stimulation
Phases: NA
Sponsor: University of California, Davis
Start date reported by registry: 2022-10-22 (actual)

Registry updated: 2026-09-14 · Status last verified by the registry submitter: 2026-09

Registry records retrieved 2026-10-11 (UTC). Individual records may have older updates. Recruitment and eligibility must be confirmed with the study team.

Contact the research team

Public study contacts supplied to the registry. Ask whether recruitment is still open and what participation involves.

Kiarash Shahlaie, MD, PhD · 916-703-5505 · krshahlaie@ucdavis.edu

Janice Wang-Polagruto, PhD, CCRP · 916-551-3244 · jfwang@ucdavis.edu

Study locations

Site status can differ from overall study status. “Status not reported” means local availability needs confirmation. Remote participation and travel arrangements must be checked with the team.

UC Davis Health

Sacramento, California, United States

Recruiting

Jessica Beatty, MS · 916-734-0901 · jabeatty@ucdavis.edu

Janice Wang-Polagruto, PhD, CCRP · 916-551-3244 · jfwang@ucdavis.edu

The original descriptions and participation rules come from the registry. Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee benefit.