NCT03984643

Algorithms for Programming DBS Systems for ET

Recruiting now NA Last updated 27 January 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Vim-Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor in 25 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

1 October 2019

Primary endpoint
31 December 2031

31 December 2031

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Minnesota
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	basic science
Enrollment	25
Start date	1 October 2019
Primary completion	31 December 2031
Estimated completion	31 December 2031
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Vim-Deep Brain Stimulation

Conditions studied

• Essential Tremor — all drugs for Essential Tremor →

Sponsor

University of Minnesota

Who can join

21 and older, any sex, with Essential Tremor. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the Vim thalamus (ventralis intermedius nucleus) is an FDA-approved neuromodulation therapy for treating postural and action tremor in individuals with essential tremor (ET). The success of this treatment, however, is highly dependent on the ability of clinicians to identify therapeutic stimulation settings through a laborious programming process. There is a strong and growing clinical need for new approaches to provide clinicians with more efficient guidance on how to titrate stimulation settings. This study will leverage subject-specific computational models that can predict neural activation of axonal pathways adjacent to the active electrode(s) and implicated in the therapeutic mechanisms of Vim-DBS to in turn guide clinicians with which stimulation settings are likely to be the most therapeutic on tremor.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Deep Brain Stimulation for the Management of Refractory Neurological Disorders: A Comprehensive Review.
   Rissardo JP, Vora NM, Tariq I, Mujtaba A, et al · · 2023 · cited 17× · PMID 38004040 · DOI 10.3390/medicina59111991
2. Differentiating Postural and Kinetic Tremor Responses to Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor.
   Butler RD, Brinda AK, Blumenfeld M, Bryants MN, et al · · 2025 · cited 2× · PMID 39508598 · DOI 10.1002/mdc3.14256