NCT04593875: LIFUP PD

LIFUP for Treatment of Motor Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

Completed NA Results posted Last updated 4 February 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Active LIFUP Treatment in Parkinson Disease in 31 participants. Completed in 31 July 2024.

Timeline

15 June 2022

Primary endpoint
24 July 2024

31 July 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of California, Los Angeles
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	triple
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	31
Start date	15 June 2022
Primary completion	24 July 2024
Estimated completion	31 July 2024
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Active LIFUP Treatment
• Sham LIFUP Treatment

Conditions studied

• Parkinson Disease — all drugs for Parkinson Disease →

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Who can join

Adults 18 to 85, any sex, with Parkinson Disease. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Motor Assessment 1: Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Section 3 Primary · Pre-LIFUP and Post-LIFUP at Day 1 and Day 15

The participant will complete a 18-item comprehensive motor assessment that assesses elements of motor function including tremor, bradykinesia, and gait. The total score for this assessment ranges from 0 to 108 points, with higher scores indicating higher severity.

Pre-LIFUP

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	37.24	± 9.91
Sham LIFUP Session	35.14	± 8.28

Post-LIFUP

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	36.93	± 9.54
Sham LIFUP Session	34.21	± 9.43

Motor Assessment 2: Finger Tapping (Score) Primary · Pre-LIFUP and Post-LIFUP at Day 1 and Day 15

This task, which is item 3.4 on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), asks participants to tap their index finger on their thumb ten times as big and as fast as possible. Participants scores on item 3.4 with standard UPDRS scoring criteria (on a scale of 0 to 4, where a higher score indicates more severe Parkinson's symptoms i.e. worse performance) will be assessed pre and post-LIFUP. The scores reported below are for the hand on the side with worse symptoms (i.e. the side that LIFUP is intended to primarily affect).

Pre-LIFUP Score

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	1.48	± 0.829
Sham LIFUP Session	1.45	± 0.936

Post-LIFUP Score

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	1.66	± 0.974
Sham LIFUP Session	1.34	± 0.948

Motor Assessment 2: Finger Tapping (Speed) Primary · Pre-LIFUP and Post-LIFUP at Day 1 and Day 15

This task, which is item 3.4 on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), asks participants to tap their index finger on their thumb ten times as big and as fast as possible. The speed of taps will be assessed pre and post-LIFUP. Speed is calculated as \[number of taps per second\] times \[average tap amplitude\], where tap amplitude is measured on a scale of 0.0-1.0 representing the percentage of finger extension between taps, where e.g. extension to a 90 degree angle between thumb and index finger = 1.0, extension to 45 degree angle = 0.5, etc. Higher speed indicates better perfo

Pre-LIFUP Speed

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	1.81	± 0.75
Sham LIFUP Session	1.72	± 0.74

Post-LIFUP Speed

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	1.70	± 0.75
Sham LIFUP Session	1.94	± 0.80

Motor Assessment 2: 9-Hole Pegboard Dexterity Test Primary · Pre-LIFUP and Post-LIFUP at Day 1 and Day 15

The participant will place and remove nine plastic pegs into a plastic pegboard. Scores are recorded as time in seconds that it takes the participant to complete the task with each hand. Analysis will compare pre- and post-treatment scores to quantify motor performance improvements.

Pre-LIFUP (Hand on side with more severe symptoms)

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	23.87	± 9.44
Sham LIFUP Session	23.94	± 9.61

Post-LIFUP (Hand on side with more severe symptoms)

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	23.49	± 7.54
Sham LIFUP Session	23.12	± 7.34

Pre-LIFUP (Hand on side with less severe symptoms)

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	21.04	± 6.26
Sham LIFUP Session	20.73	± 7.50

Post-LIFUP (Hand on side with less severe symptoms)

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	20.46	± 5.79
Sham LIFUP Session	20.12	± 4.40

Difference in BOLD fMRI Signal Between on vs. Off Blocks Secondary · During LIFUP (or sham) sonication on Day 1 and Day 15

BOLD data will be collected in real-time during the ultrasound sonication, which occurs in interleaved 30 second "on" and "off" blocks. Analyses will assess the statistical relationship between BOLD signal in the brain and the time series (on vs off) of the ultrasound sonication. Tabular data reported here represents the difference in BOLD activation between on and off conditions in the internal globus pallidus on the targeted side of the brain, calculated as the mean BOLD activation while LIFUP is on minus mean activation when it is off.

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	1.19	± 6.53
Sham LIFUP Session	0.41	± 3.49

Perfusion Changes in Internal Globus Pallidus, External Globus Pallidus, and Putamen Secondary · Pre-LIFUP and Post-LIFUP at Day 1 and Day 15

Arterial spin labeling data will be collected before and after sonication. Analyses will assess the statistical relationship between perfusion in the targeted internal globus pallidus, external globus pallidus, and putamen pre- and post-sonication in a within-subject repeated measures design.

GPi - Percent Change Perfusion

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	16.4	± 50.6
Sham LIFUP Session	17.0	± 50.1

GPe - Percent Change Perfusion

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	30.0	± 101.2
Sham LIFUP Session	16.6	± 46.1

Putamen - Percent Change Perfusion

Group	Value	95% CI
Active LIFUP Session	28.4	± 63.4
Sham LIFUP Session	14.0	± 45.7

Adverse events — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Time frame: Adverse event data were collected 2, 4, and 7 days after each in-person session, and the two in-person sessions were two weeks apart. As a result, depending on whether participants received active then sham or sham then active, adverse event data were collected for either one week or three weeks after the active intervention.. Reporting threshold: 0%. Adverse-event reports describe events observed during the trial — not all are caused by the drug.

Active LIFUP Session

Serious: 0/30 (0%)

Deaths: 0/30

Sham LIFUP Session

Serious: 0/31 (0%)

Deaths: 0/31

Other adverse events (2 terms — click to expand)

Reaction	System	Active LIFUP Session	Sham LIFUP Session
Head or Neck Pain	Nervous system disorders	—	—
Fatigue or Sleep Disruption	General disorders	—	—

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04593875 adverse events section.

Sponsor's own description

The study will test the feasibility of using Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP) to treat motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD). LIFUP is a new technique that can increase brain activity in highly specific target areas and is MRI compatible. Thus, in real-time, it is possible to directly observe how LIFUP changes the brain areas important in PD by measuring its effects on brain activity, blood flow, and brain connectivity. If successful, this research will mark the first step towards a novel, non-invasive, non-medication treatment for PD.

Publications & conference data

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

1. A review of temporal interference, nanoparticles, ultrasound, gene therapy, and designer receptors for Parkinson disease.
   Currie AD, Wong JK, Okun MS. · · 2024 · cited 13× · PMID 39443513 · DOI 10.1038/s41531-024-00804-0
2. Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation promotes neuronal regeneration: A new hope for noninvasive treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
   Xia S, He C, Li Y, Li H, et al · · 2026 · cited 1× · PMID 40817729 · DOI 10.4103/nrr.nrr-d-25-00113