---
title: Improve vision guided reaching ability
nct_id: NCT05400499
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
study_type: OBSERVATIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05400499"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05400499"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:02:41.716Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Improve vision guided reaching ability

**Goal (in five words):** Improve vision guided reaching ability

**Official Title:** Deep Brain Stimulation for Visuomotor Function in Parkinsons Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT05400499](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05400499)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** OBSERVATIONAL
- **Sponsor:** VA Office of Research and Development
- **Target Enrollment:** 40 participants
- **Start Date:** 2022-10-04
- **Completion Date:** 2026-06-30
- **Conditions:** Parkinson's Disease

## Summary For Families

The project aims to learn how stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus affects visuomotor skills, meaning how well people with Parkinson's use sight to guide reaching, balance, and hand-eye coordination. Researchers will observe people who already have bilateral STN deep brain stimulation, using pre-op MRI and post-op MRI or CT to map electrode location while testing vision-guided movement; STN DBS alters abnormal firing in motor circuits and is usually used alongside levodopa, and this study keeps medications and DBS settings stable to see specific effects on visuomotor tasks. About 40 adults of any sex are being enrolled, they must have bilateral STN DBS, available pre-op MRI and ability to get post-op imaging, and be Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 to 4 off medication with stable meds and DBS settings. People with dementia, untreated major depression or anxiety, prior Parkinson's brain surgery other than DBS, or signs of atypical parkinsonism are not eligible.

## Eligibility

- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Parkinson's disease with bilateral STN DBS
* Availability of pre-operative MR images (with a T1-weighted, gradient-echo sequence) and ability to get post-operative MRI or CT scans
* Hoehn and Yahr stage 2-4 when off medication, and a stable antiparkinsonian medication regimen and DBS parameter settings

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous surgical therapy for Parkinson's disease (other than DBS)
* Dementia
* Clinically significant untreated depression or anxiety
* Clinical features suggestive of atypical parkinsonism
```

## Locations (1)

- Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, Cleveland, Ohio, United States _(41.4995, -81.6954)_
  - Cheryl Dudek — (CONTACT) — 216-679-3800 — cheryl.dudek@va.gov
  - Aasef G Shaikh, MD PhD — (CONTACT) — (216) 791-3800 — Aasef.Shaikh@va.gov
  - Aasef G. Shaikh, MD PhD — (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

## Central Contacts

- Aasef G Shaikh, MD PhD — (CONTACT) — (216) 791-3800 — Aasef.Shaikh@va.gov
- Monica O'Loughlin — (CONTACT) — (216) 791-3800 — Monica.O'Loughlin@va.gov

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05400499*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05400499*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05400499*