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Parkinson DiseaseNCT06829342

Stochastic Resonance Stimulation Effect on Gait Stability in Parkinson Disease

A study testing Stochastic Resonance (SR) in people with Parkinson Disease, run by University of Delaware at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The present study explored the use of a technique called stochastic resonance (SR) stimulation that may help individuals with Parkinson Disease maintain balance while walking on challenging surfaces. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 40 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
Parkinson Disease
What is being tested?
Stochastic Resonance (SR)
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
21 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
19 May 2021to 13 Dec 2022
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 40 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson Disease
  • Hoehn and Yahr (H\&Y) stage ≤ III
  • Can walk independently for at least 2 minutes without an assistive device or orthosis
  • Ability to communicate discomfort during testing
  • Can follow multi-step commands
  • Scored at least 24/30 on the Montreal Cognitive assessment (MoCA)

Who cannot join

  • Any head, neck, or face injury in the six months prior to the study (e.g., concussion, eye injury)
  • History of vestibular or ocular dysfunction
  • Currently taking any medications affecting balance (i.e. antibiotics)
  • Injuries to lower extremities affecting balance in the past six months
  • Pregnancy
  • Any neurological disorders other than Parkinson's disease (e.g., seizure disorders, closed head injuries with loss of consciousness greater than 15 minutes, CNS neoplasm, history of stroke)
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Unstable cardiac or pulmonary disease
  • Clinically obese (BMI 30 or above)
  • Any metal implant in the feet or legs that is close to the stimulating electrodes
  • A known allergy to medical-grade adhesives
  • Any other comorbidity affecting the ability to safely walk without assistance for at least 2 minutes
  • Exhibited severe dyskinesia
  • Did not respond to L-DOPA or other dopaminergic treatment
  • Exhibited cardiovascular-autonomic or multiple-system symptoms indicative of a "Parkinsonism-plus" presentation

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Delaware

    Newark, Delaware, 19713

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Role of Sensory Deficits in the Neural Control of Balance During Walking in Parkinson's Disease

The present study explored the use of a technique called stochastic resonance (SR) stimulation that may help individuals with Parkinson Disease maintain balance while walking on challenging surfaces. Impaired balance represents one of the disease symptoms, putting people at risk for falls, partly due to impaired processing of sensory information. SR uses light electrical signals to improve the way the body detects sensations. We wanted to test if SR could help people with Parkinson disease stay steadier while walking. Each participant's optimal SR intensity was determined before they walked on a treadmill in a virtual environment that created visual disturbances to challenge their balance. We measured how much their body swayed, how they placed their feet, and how their ankles moved during the walking tasks.

Being tested
Stochastic Resonance (SR)
Medical subject headings
Parkinson Disease

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Stochastic Resonance (SR)Device

    The system consists of six linear isolated stimulators (STMISOLA, Biopac Systems, Inc., Goleta, USA). The SR signal (Gaussian White Noise, zero mean) will be generated through a 16 bit PCI 6733 National Instruments multifunction data acquisition card by a custom LabView program. The stimulation sites include the ankle, lateral soleus, peroneus longus, and tibialis anterior muscles and the hip.

Study groups in NCT06829342
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Stochastic Resonance (SR)ExperimentalDuring this condition, participants will walk on the treadmill while receiving SR stimulation at their individual optimal intensity (SR) with and without visual perturbations.
Receives: Device: Stochastic Resonance (SR)
No Stochastic Resonance (no-SR)No interventionDuring this condition, participants will walk on the treadmill while receiving no SR stimulation (no-SR) with and without visual perturbations.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in the Center of Mass (CoM) excursion

    For the visual perturbation trials, we will use CoM excursion as the primary outcome measure since it has been used in prior studies in children and adults using visual perturbation protocols. This is determined by comparing the average CoM during perturbed steps to non-perturbed steps for each participant, integrated across the first eight steps initiated by the heel strike that triggered the stimulus. We will measure CoM using kinetics and kinematic computed through a motion capture system(Qualysis).

    For the unperturbed trials, we will use margin of stability (MoS) as the primary outcome measure. MOS refers to the distance between extrapolated center of mass, which includes center of mass position and velocity, and the base of support. It has been previously used to measure balance in children with cerebral palsy and Parkinson Disease.

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 1 year.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Feb 2025
  2. Study start19 May 2021
  3. Primary completion13 Dec 2022
  4. Study completion13 Dec 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
21 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06829342
Sponsor's protocol ID
1759595-5
Status last verified
Feb 2025
First submitted
3 Feb 2025
Last updated
17 Feb 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Alsaqabi E, DiBianca S, Sansare A, Verma K, Reimann H, Jeka J. Stochastic resonance stimulation effect on stability during walking in people with Parkinson disease. Int Biomech. 2025 Dec;12(1):81-94. doi: 10.1080/23335432.2025.2584665. Epub 2025 Nov 6.

    PubMed 41195808

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Stochastic Resonance (SR) in people with Parkinson Disease, run by University of Delaware at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Feb 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in the Center of Mass (CoM) excursion (time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06829342, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Feb 2025.

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