High Frequency Light, Sound, and Tactile Stimulation to Improve Motor and Cognitive Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

NCT ID: NCT05268887

Last Updated: 2024-12-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

40 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-02-09

Study Completion Date

2025-11-30

Brief Summary

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Parkinson's disease (PD) impacts different types of neural oscillations in the brain, including beta (13-30Hz) and gamma oscillations (30-80Hz), which contributes to PD's cardinal symptoms of resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), and gait instability. The investigators' lab has developed a non-invasive method of increasing gamma power in the brain using Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS) through light, sound, and tactile stimulation devices. For this study, 40 participants with mild Parkinson's disease will be recruited, and the investigators will assess their brain waves with electroencephalogram (EEG) before, during, and after light, sound, and tactile stimulation to determine the safety, feasibility, and optimization of GENUS as a potential therapy in the PD population.

Detailed Description

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It is known that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have disruptions in brain waves, specifically the beta frequency (13 - 30Hz) and gamma frequency (\~30 - 100 Hz), due to the death of dopaminergic neurons in certain parts of the brain. These disruptions of brain rhythms contribute to the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's (resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia or slowness of movement and gait stability) in different ways. The investigators' lab has developed a non-invasive method of neuromodulation called Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS), which could be used for patients suffering from motor symptoms due to PD. GENUS is administered via light, sound, and tactile stimulation devices which emit light, audio, and tactile frequencies respectively. GENUS has been tested on cognitively normal individuals and individuals with mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and the device was found to be safe for use and effective for entrainment in both populations.

Investigators hypothesize that boosting gamma oscillations using 40Hz GENUS will augment movement and improve tremor and bradykinesia in PD patients. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine whether gamma entrainment through non-invasive 40Hz sensory stimulation can be observed in patients with PD as measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) during an acute stimulation session. Investigators also hope to determine whether the GENUS devices are safe and easy to use in the PD population.

The investigators will recruit 40 participants diagnosed with mild PD who will be randomly assigned to two study arms: control stimulation and active 40Hz stimulation. Participants will be asked to do a series of movement exercises while wearing an actigraphy watch that tracks their activity before the stimulation session. Cognitive and mental health evaluations and memory tests will also be performed on all participants before and after exposure to the GENUS devices, which can deliver light, sound, and tactile waves at different frequencies. The first GENUS device is composed of a panel with light-emitting diode (LED) illumination and speakers for auditory stimulation, whilst the second device is composed of a small vibrating speaker for tactile stimulation. Each of the two groups will have different combinations of light, sound, and tactile settings.

Conditions

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Parkinson Disease

Keywords

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Parkinson's Disease Motor Impairment Non-Invasive Sensory Stimulation Light and Sound Stimulation Tactile Stimulation Gamma

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Caregivers

Study Groups

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Parkinson's Active Arm

Exposure to active sensory stimulation (40Hz) for 30-60 minutes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

GENUS device (Active Settings)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants in the active, experimental group will use the GENUS devices configured to active (40Hz) setting for 30-60 minutes

Parkinson's Control Arm

Exposure to control stimulation (sham) for 30-60 minutes.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

GENUS device (Sham settings)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants in the control group will use the GENUS devices configured to the sham settings for 30-60 minutes

Interventions

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GENUS device (Active Settings)

Participants in the active, experimental group will use the GENUS devices configured to active (40Hz) setting for 30-60 minutes

Intervention Type DEVICE

GENUS device (Sham settings)

Participants in the control group will use the GENUS devices configured to the sham settings for 30-60 minutes

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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Gamma Frequency Stimulation Light and Sound stimulation Tactile stimulation Gamma frequency stimulation Light and Sound stimulation Tactile Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Subject has Idiopathic PD defined by the cardinal sign, bradykinesia, plus the presence of at least 1 of the following: resting tremor or rigidity and without any other known or suspected cause of Parkinsonism (according to Movement disorder society (MDS) clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease confirmed by a fellowship trained movements disorder specialist
* Subject is Hoehn \& Yahr stage 2 to 3
* Subject has a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score ≥26.
* Subject is \> 45 and \<90 years of age.
* proficient in speaking, reading, and understanding English
* capable of providing informed written consent
* Subject is on a stable dose (at least 1 month prior to baseline visit) of antiparkinsonian agents and willing to remain on this dose for the duration of the study. If on a cholinesterase inhibitor, a stable dose without changes for 1 month is required.
* Subject has undergone a brain CT or MRI prior to rule out underlying structural lesions

Exclusion Criteria

* Subject has atypical Parkinson's syndrome(s) due to drugs, metabolic neurogenetic disorders (e.g., Wilson's Disease), encephalitis, cerebrovascular disease, or degenerative disease (e.g., Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Multiple System Atrophy, Corticobasal Degeneration, Lewy Body dementia)
* history of any psychiatric illness that would pose a safety risk
* diagnosis of dementia or other neurological conditions
* currently taking sedative medications that are clinically contraindicated
* has undergone recent change (\<1 month) in medication
* recent drug or alcohol abuse or dependence
* laboratory results the would pose safety risk
* concurrently or has participated in other clinical trial investigation within 3 months
* pregnant
* no healthcare
* history of epilepsy, stroke, or seizure in past 24 months
* diagnosis of migraines
* have certain implantable medical devices
* contraindications for MRI
* life expectancy of less than 2 years
Minimum Eligible Age

45 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

90 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Li-Huei Tsai, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Diane Chan, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Locations

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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MJ Quay, MS

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 617-258-7723

Email: [email protected]

Remi Philips, BS

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 617-258-7723

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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MJ Quay, MS

Role: primary

Remi Philips, BS

Role: backup

References

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Brown P. Oscillatory nature of human basal ganglia activity: relationship to the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2003 Apr;18(4):357-63. doi: 10.1002/mds.10358.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12671940 (View on PubMed)

Brown P, Oliviero A, Mazzone P, Insola A, Tonali P, Di Lazzaro V. Dopamine dependency of oscillations between subthalamic nucleus and pallidum in Parkinson's disease. J Neurosci. 2001 Feb 1;21(3):1033-8. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.21-03-01033.2001.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11157088 (View on PubMed)

Deuschl G, Schade-Brittinger C, Krack P, Volkmann J, Schafer H, Botzel K, Daniels C, Deutschlander A, Dillmann U, Eisner W, Gruber D, Hamel W, Herzog J, Hilker R, Klebe S, Kloss M, Koy J, Krause M, Kupsch A, Lorenz D, Lorenzl S, Mehdorn HM, Moringlane JR, Oertel W, Pinsker MO, Reichmann H, Reuss A, Schneider GH, Schnitzler A, Steude U, Sturm V, Timmermann L, Tronnier V, Trottenberg T, Wojtecki L, Wolf E, Poewe W, Voges J; German Parkinson Study Group, Neurostimulation Section. A randomized trial of deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease. N Engl J Med. 2006 Aug 31;355(9):896-908. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa060281.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16943402 (View on PubMed)

Heusinkveld LE, Hacker ML, Turchan M, Davis TL, Charles D. Impact of Tremor on Patients With Early Stage Parkinson's Disease. Front Neurol. 2018 Aug 3;9:628. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00628. eCollection 2018.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30123178 (View on PubMed)

Kogan M, McGuire M, Riley J. Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson Disease. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2019 Apr;30(2):137-146. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2019.01.001.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30898266 (View on PubMed)

Litvak V, Eusebio A, Jha A, Oostenveld R, Barnes G, Foltynie T, Limousin P, Zrinzo L, Hariz MI, Friston K, Brown P. Movement-related changes in local and long-range synchronization in Parkinson's disease revealed by simultaneous magnetoencephalography and intracranial recordings. J Neurosci. 2012 Aug 1;32(31):10541-53. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0767-12.2012.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22855804 (View on PubMed)

Muthuraman M, Bange M, Koirala N, Ciolac D, Pintea B, Glaser M, Tinkhauser G, Brown P, Deuschl G, Groppa S. Cross-frequency coupling between gamma oscillations and deep brain stimulation frequency in Parkinson's disease. Brain. 2020 Dec 5;143(11):3393-3407. doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa297.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33150359 (View on PubMed)

Okun MS. Deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease. N Engl J Med. 2012 Oct 18;367(16):1529-38. doi: 10.1056/NEJMct1208070. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23075179 (View on PubMed)

Okun MS, Fernandez HH, Wu SS, Kirsch-Darrow L, Bowers D, Bova F, Suelter M, Jacobson CE 4th, Wang X, Gordon CW Jr, Zeilman P, Romrell J, Martin P, Ward H, Rodriguez RL, Foote KD. Cognition and mood in Parkinson's disease in subthalamic nucleus versus globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation: the COMPARE trial. Ann Neurol. 2009 May;65(5):586-95. doi: 10.1002/ana.21596.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19288469 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2110000486

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id