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Phase 4Recruiting

Cortical Electrophysiology of Response Inhibition in Parkinson's Disease

Sponsored by Emory University

About this study

Patients with Parkinson's Disease will be studied before, during, and after a deep brain stimulation implantation procedure to see if the stimulation location and the size of the electrical field produced by subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS determine the degree to which DBS engages circuits that involve prefrontal cortex executive functions, and therefore have a direct impact on the patient's ability to inhibit actions.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly develop difficulties with executive function due to neurodegeneration in neuronal networks that involve the prefrontal cortex and associative territories of the basal ganglia, even in early stages of the disease. Executive cognitive functions serve to direct behavior toward a goal and modify actions to accommodate changing demands. One of the key components of executive control is the ability to cancel or inhibit habitual responses. Motor response inhibition is critical in everyday life, for example, to stop crossing the street when a speeding car appears. In patients with PD, the failure of these inhibitory control mechanisms may manifest, for example, as an inability to stop festinating gait or as impulsively jumping out of a chair and losi…

Where this study is enrolling

Who can participate

Inclusion criteria

  • ✓for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 1:
  • ✓diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD)
  • ✓Hoehn and Yahr (H\&Y) stage 2-4 (off medication)

Exclusion criteria

  • ✕for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 1:
  • ✕severe tremor at rest or severe dyskinesia which would cause significant artifacts in electrophysiological signals
  • ✕inability to hold antiparkinsonian medications for research recordings
  • ✕dementia
  • ✕non-English speaker
  • ✕Inclusion Criteria for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 2:
  • ✕diagnosis of idiopathic PD
  • ✕there is a clinical indication for DBS surgery
  • ✕normal preoperative MRI
  • ✕ability to tolerate microelectrode-guided neurosurgery in an awake state
  • ✕Exclusion Criteria for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 2:
  • ✕presence of a coagulopathy
  • ✕uncontrolled hypertension
  • ✕heart disease
  • ✕other medical conditions considered to increase the patient's risk for surgical complications
  • ✕Inclusion Criteria for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 3:
  • ✕diagnosis of idiopathic PD
  • ✕functioning DBS system
  • ✕Exclusion Criteria for Persons with Parkinson's Disease for Aim 3:
  • ✕severe tremor at rest or severe dyskinesia which would cause significant artifacts in electrophysiological signals
  • ✕inability to hold antiparkinsonian medications for research recordings
  • ✕inability to tolerate temporary discontinuation of DBS therapy or alteration of stimulation settings for research purposes
  • ✕other medical conditions considered to increase the patient's risk for surgical complications
  • ✕Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls:
  • ✕age 45-75
  • ✕Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls:
  • ✕history of a neuropsychiatric disorder and/or treatment with psychotropic medications
  • ✕non-English speaker

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Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.