Attention and Eye Movement in Parkinson's Disease

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA · Mar 20, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how a treatment called deep brain stimulation (DBS) affects attention and perception in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). The researchers want to find out if DBS helps improve or makes it harder for these individuals to interpret social cues, like facial expressions. By using an eye tracking camera, they will compare how participants with PD and ET look at and understand emotions on faces before and after receiving DBS therapy, as well as during the procedure itself.

To be part of this study, participants need to be between 19 and 90 years old and must be willing to give their consent. Those with PD or ET should be scheduled for a new DBS device implantation. Participants will be asked to perform tasks on a computer screen, rating different facial expressions in three different scenarios: before starting DBS, during the surgery while they are awake, and after the treatment with some adjustments to the stimulation settings. It’s important to note that individuals with certain vision issues or those unable to complete the tasks won't be eligible for the study. Overall, this trial aims to deepen our understanding of how DBS can help improve attention in people living with these conditions.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Inclusion Criteria
• * All Participants (Aim 1):
• • Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study
• • Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider
• • Age 19 - 90 years
• * DBS Participants (Aim 1):
• • Diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET)
• • Scheduled for new implantation of a therapeutic DBS device targeted to subthalamic nucleus (STN), ventral intermediate nucleus of thalamus (VIM) or internal globus pallidus (GPi)
• * Comparison Participants (Aim 1):
• • o Selection by age matching to participants in PD group
• * Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) Participants (Aim 2):
• • Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study
• • Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider
• • Age 19 - 90 years
• • Scheduled for awake DBS implantation with clinical micro-electrode recordings (MER)
• • Willing and able to engage in tasks during an awake surgical procedure
• * Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) Participants (Aim 3):
• • Ability and willingness to provide signed informed consent for this study
• • Ability to express perceptual judgments through a button press or mouse- controlled computerized slider
• • Age 19 - 90 years
• • Willing to undergo acute manipulations of DBS
• • Able to tolerate acute changes of DBS
• • Exclusion Criteria
• * All Participants (Aim 1):
• • Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli
• • Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements
• * DBS Participants (Aim 1):
• • o Insufficient therapeutic control of motor symptoms to engage in tasks requiring button press or use of a mouse to control a slider
• * Healthy Comparison Participants (Aim 1):
• • o History of neurodegenerative disorder
• * Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) Participants (Aim 2):
• • Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli
• • Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements
• • Not undergoing awake DBS implantation
• • Uncorrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli
• * Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) Participants (Aim 3):
• • Corrected visual acuity insufficient to perceptually judge face stimuli
• • Inability to understand task instructions or complete task requirements
• • Failure of DBS to achieve a therapeutic effect on motor symptoms