Alternating DBS for stepping control in Parkinson’s disease v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Studying stepping control in Parkinson’s disease using alternating deep brain stimulation
IRAS ID
230144
Contact name
Peter Brown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The purpose of the study is to explore how subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) can assist gait control, with a view to developing new forms of stimulation that might be more effective than the form of stimulation conventionally applied. About half of all patients with Parkinson’s disease suffer from intermittent freezing of gait, which is often refractory to medication or conventional continuous deep brain stimulation. This study sets out to answer the question whether DBS that alternates between the left and right side of the brain can improve gait control. Recent research in Professor Brown’s laboratory has shown that 20-30 Hz oscillatory activity in the STN is modulated during stepping-in-place relative to the contralateral leg and thus exhibits a pattern alternating between the left and right side of the brain. We hypothesise that we can improve on the effects of conventional continuous DBS by changing stimulation during gait so that the two STN are stimulated in alternation, aimed at promoting the gait-related alternating pattern of 20-30Hz modulation. We will compare alternating DBS to conventional DBS in a control environment during stepping-in-place and stepping adaptation. \n\nThe study will take place at the University College London Hospitals in London and is funded by the MRC. We aim to recruit 20 patients who have chronically implanted bilateral STN DBS over the next 2 years.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0416
Date of REC Opinion
15 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion