What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 27 patients with parkinson's disease. The study was sponsored by InSightec and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
Focused ultrasound reduced medication-resistant Parkinson's tremors by 62%.
JAMA neurology · 2017 · NCT01772693
These findings — that hand tremors improved by nearly two-thirds in patients who got the real ultrasound treatment — were published in the JAMA neurology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 27 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with parkinson's disease, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment uses MRI-guided ultrasound to target a specific brain area without surgery. It is FDA-approved for essential tremor and Parkinson's tremor. If your tremors aren't controlled by medication, ask your neurologist whether you're a candidate for this procedure.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open parkinson's disease trials
Ultra-High Resolution PET in Aging, Neurodegeneration and Psychotic Disorders
The goal of this study is to use ultra-high-resolution (UHR) PET imaging to better understand how the brain and spinal cord change in healthy aging and in neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and psychotic disorders. Researchers will use the NeuroExplorer PET/CT system, a new scanner that can show very small structures in the brain and spinal cord in much more detail than regular PET. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * How do small but important brain regions (like the locus coeruleus, substantia nigra, and thalamic nuclei) change in healthy aging? * What early brain changes occur in neurodegenerative and psychotic disorders, and can they help improve early diagnosis? Participants will: * Undergo PET and MRI brain scans using different tracers that measure brain metabolism (18F-FDG), synaptic density (¹⁸F-SynVesT-1), dopamine transporters (¹⁸F-PE2I), and tau protein buildup (¹⁸F-MK6240). * Complete cognitive and clinical assessments related to memory, mood, and motor or psychiatric symptoms, depending on their group. This study will include healthy volunteers and patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer´s disease, ALS, Parkinson's disease and related disorders, or psychotic disorders. The results will help create detailed brain imaging maps for healthy aging and identify early biomarkers for different diseases to support better diagnosis and treatment in the future.
Preparation and Feasibility of Exams for Expected Studies
Feasibility study: the examinations carried out as part of this protocol aim to carry out all the acquisitions and simulations of use, necessary for the development of the clinical research protocols to come to Clinatec (in particular, configuration of the equipment, dimension of the examination time and the size of the cohorts etc ...)