Recruiting · registry status

How implanted brain stimulation affects thinking and mental health

Researchers study changes in thinking and psychiatric symptoms in people with Parkinson’s receiving implanted brain stimulation.

Testing a treatment or activity · Study reference: NCT07777419

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?

Ages 18 years to 75 years · 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: * Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease * Treated with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) * For part I: General research consent for the analysis of routine clinical data * For part II of the study: ability to provide informed consent * native German or French speaker * Montreal Cognitive Assessment with score ≥ 20 Exclusion Criteria: * Atypical Parkinsonism * Other disease affecting the brain (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, non-provoked epilepsy, brain tumour, etc.) * Haemorrhage during implantation of STN-DBS, which resulted in permanent cognitive or physical impairment * Schizophrenia, ongoing substance abuse, bipolar disorder or autism * For part II: Severe depressive disorder and/or suicidality * Insufficient quality or lack of brain imaging data pre and/or post STN-DBS

Full study name & original research details

Official study title

Impact of Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation on COGnitive and PSYchiatric Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease

Original description

With this study, the investigators want to investigate how deep brain stimulation (DBS) affects various cognitive and psychiatric symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). In particular, they will examine whether stimulation of the left hemisphere has a different effect than stimulation of the right hemisphere on cognitive and psychiatric symptoms.

Further description from the registry

Previous studies have shown that motor symptoms improve with DBS in PD. It is also know that DBS can have an effect on cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. However, in the studies completed so far, it has not yet been possible to conclusively assess the exact effect of the stimulation itself on various cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. In particular, there is currently no data on how the precise localization of stimulation at the target site-the subthalamic nucleus (STN)-affects cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. It is not yet clear whether electrical stimulation of the right subthalamic nucleus has different effects on cognition and mood than stimulation of the left subthalamic nucleus. The aim of this study is to investigate whether DBS of the left hemisphere affects cognition and mood differently than DBS of the right hemisphere.

Conditions reported: Parkinsons Disease (PD)

Study type: Interventional
Interventions: DBS OFF state for left hemisphere; DBS OFF state for right hemisphere
Phases: NA
Sponsor: Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
Start date reported by registry: 2026-08-01 (actual)

Registry updated: 2026-09-04 · Status last verified by the registry submitter: 2026-08

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.

Deborah Amstutz, PhD · +41 31 66 4 05 67 · deborah.amstutz@insel.ch

Mario Sousa, MD · +41 31 63 2 86 52 · mario.sousa@insel.ch

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.

University Hospital Inselspital, Berne

Bern, Switzerland

Recruiting

Deborah Amstutz, PhD · +41 31 66 4 05 67 · deborah.amstutz@insel.ch

Mario Sousa, MD · +41 31 63 2 86 52 · mario.sousa@insel.ch

Deborah Amstutz, PhD

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