Sensory Filtering in the Human Basal Ganglia as a Mechanism of Parkinson's Disease
- Conditions
- Parkinson Disease
- Interventions
- Diagnostic Test: Behavioral TestingDiagnostic Test: Intraoperative Behavioral Testing
- Registration Number
- NCT05482126
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Brief Summary
The investigators are investigating the brain activity associated with sensory information in movement disorders in order to improve treatment of these symptoms beyond what is currently available.
- Detailed Description
The purpose of this study is to investigate the functional role of the human basal ganglia in the sensorimotor system. In particular, the investigators are interested in the possibility that the basal ganglia participate in "filtering out" sensory stimuli that are irrelevant to the current behavioral goal. Additionally, the investigators are interested in how this type of sensorimotor processing in these brain areas is related to the severity of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.
To do this, the investigators will study both healthy individuals and Parkinson's disease patients undergoing routine deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. During the surgery, investigators will place the DBS electrode as routinely performed and additionally place an extra, temporary "strip" electrode along the surface of the brain. Participants will then perform a short behavioral task testing sensorimotor function while investigators record the neural signals from these electrodes. The task will involve the delivery of sensory stimuli (visual, vibrotactile, electrical, and/or proprioceptive), to which the participant will be asked to perform a certain motor response. In order to fully measure the variables of interest, investigators will also attach small stickers (electrodes) to the skin of areas involved in movements for measuring muscle activity (such as the face and limbs), and may attach small, noninvasive devices around the wrist, finger, or arm (e.g., accelerometers) that measure position. The investigators may also apply EEG electrodes to the scalp to measure global brain activity or place a microphone in front of the subject to record speech.
In addition to recording this baseline brain activity, the investigators will evaluate whether deep brain stimulation and dopaminergic medication alters the recorded activity and task performance. Typical deep brain stimulation involves administering specific parameters of high-frequency electrical pulses to achieve clinical benefit. Routine operations involve testing these parameters in the OR in awake patients. For this study, investigators will administer either this high-frequency stimulation or various other patterns of stimulation (e.g., low-frequency, burst stimulation) and measure the changes in behavior and brain activity. As a method of validation, the investigators will also deliver paired pulses of stimulation that enable analysis of stimulation-evoked activity.
Finally, the investigators will correlate recorded brain activity with measures of participants' individual disease severity.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 30
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- OBSERVATIONAL
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Healthy controls Behavioral Testing The investigators will seek to enroll a cohort of age- and sex-matched healthy individuals to act as a control group. This group will NOT undergo DBS surgery Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Patients Intraoperative Behavioral Testing The investigators will seek to enroll people with Parkinson's disease (PD) who have been approved for deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) as part of their routine clinical Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Patients Behavioral Testing The investigators will seek to enroll people with Parkinson's disease (PD) who have been approved for deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) as part of their routine clinical
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Latency of response to stimulus (intraoperative) Intraoperative Time from stimulus onset to start of motor response, measured by electromyography (EMG)
Latency of response to stimulus (postoperative) 1 month post-op Time from stimulus onset to start of motor response, measured by electromyography (EMG)
Kinematic response to stimulus (intraoperative) Intraoperative Arm movements (hand position, velocity) recorded following stimulus onset, measured by joystick outputs.
Neural response to stimulus Intraoperative Brain activity recorded following stimulus onset, measured by local field potentials recorded from the electrocorticography (ECoG) and DBS electrodes.
Kinematic response to stimulus (postoperative) 1 month post-op Arm movements (hand position, velocity) recorded following stimulus onset, measured by joystick outputs.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
🇺🇸Birmingham, Alabama, United States