---
title: Brain stimulation changes breathing function
nct_id: NCT04058457
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: University of Oxford
study_type: OBSERVATIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT04058457"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04058457"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:01:57.416Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Brain stimulation changes breathing function

**Goal (in five words):** Brain stimulation changes breathing function

**Official Title:** Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: Respiratory Testing

**Trial ID:** [NCT04058457](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04058457)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** OBSERVATIONAL
- **Sponsor:** University of Oxford
- **Target Enrollment:** 60 participants
- **Start Date:** 2021-04-01
- **Completion Date:** 2026-07-21
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** DBS
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

They're looking at whether deep brain stimulation changes breathing and other respiratory functions in people with Parkinson's, since stimulating brain regions that control movement can also affect swallowing, speech, and respiratory control. Participants scheduled for DBS will have breathing tests before and after surgery while staying on their usual Parkinson's medications, and DBS works by delivering targeted electrical pulses to specific brain areas to modify abnormal circuits that cause motor symptoms so researchers can observe any effects on respiration. Adults 18 and older who are fluent in English and planned for DBS surgery can join, while people who are pregnant, have an acute respiratory problem, or are in another trial that affects breathing are excluded; about 60 people will be enrolled.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study.
* Male or female, aged 18 years or above.
* Planned for required DBS surgery
* Fluent in the English language
* For experimental group: diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Exclusion Criteria:

* Female who is pregnant
* Subject is currently participating in a clinical investigation that includes an active treatment arm which may affect the respiratory system.
* Acute respiratory problem at time of experimental session: e.g. rhinosinusitis, pharyngitis, asthma exacerbation
```

## Locations (1)

- John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom _(51.7522, -1.2560)_
  - Alex Green, FRCS — (CONTACT) — 01865234762 — alex.green@nds.ox.ac.uk

## Central Contacts

- Alex Green, FRCS — (CONTACT) — 01865227645 — alex.green@nds.ox.ac.uk

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT04058457*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT04058457*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04058457*