---
title: Map brain signals causing tremor
nct_id: NCT06692920
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: University of Minnesota
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06692920"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06692920"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:07:23.645Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Map brain signals causing tremor

**Goal (in five words):** Map brain signals causing tremor

**Official Title:** Characterizing the Pathophysiological Role of the Pallido-thalamocortical Motor Pathway in Parkinson's Disease.

**Trial ID:** [NCT06692920](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06692920)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** University of Minnesota
- **Target Enrollment:** 25 participants
- **Start Date:** 2024-12-01
- **Completion Date:** 2026-12-01
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** DBS stimulation
- **Intervention Types:** OTHER

## Summary For Families

The goal is to map how the pallido-thalamocortical motor pathway contributes to Parkinson's motor problems, so clinicians can better understand the circuit-level causes of tremor, slowness, and stiffness. During the participant's planned deep brain stimulation surgery at the University of Minnesota, researchers will apply and record DBS stimulation to probe how electrical pulses change activity along that pathway; DBS delivers controlled electrical pulses to deep brain targets to normalize or interrupt abnormal firing that drives symptoms. This work is focused on brain circuit signals during routine DBS care rather than testing a new drug. The study is looking for adults aged 21 to 75 with idiopathic Parkinson's who are already scheduled for DBS at UMN, excluding people with other major neurologic disorders, dementia, certain post-op complications, pregnancy, or recent unsafe research radiation exposure.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 21 Years
- **Maximum age:** 75 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of idiopathic PD
* DBS surgery at UMN is planned as part of routine clinical care
* Aged 21-75

Exclusion Criteria:

* Other significant neurological disorder, which may confound neurophysiological changes associated with Parkinson's disease
* History of dementia
* Patients with post-operative complications or adverse effects (e.g. ON stimulation dystonias) that affect patient safety or confound the experiment will be excluded from further study
* Pregnant women
* Known research radiation exposure within the last year that is determined to be unsafe when compounded with the expected radiation dose from intraoperative fluoroscopy
```

## Locations (1)

- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States _(44.9800, -93.2638)_
  - Niecy Beltz — (CONTACT) — 612-626-5711 — beltz070@umn.edu

## Central Contacts

- Kelly Brown, RN — (CONTACT) — (612) 301-2140 — ksbrown@umn.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06692920*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06692920*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06692920*