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Cerebellar Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders in Cerebral Palsy in Children and Young Adults

Cerebellar Deep Brain Stimulation for Severe Combined Movement Disorders and Spasticity in Children and Young Adults With Cerebral Palsy

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06122675
Enrollment
10
Registered
2023-11-08
Start date
2024-03-26
Completion date
2029-03-31
Last updated
2026-06-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy, Dystonic Cerebral Palsy

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to test the safety of placing Deep Brain Stimulators (DBS) in a part of the brain called the cerebellum and using electrical stimulation of that part of the brain to treat movement symptoms related to cerebral palsy. Ten children and young adults with dyskinetic cerebral palsy will be implanted with a Medtronic Percept Primary Cell Neurostimulator. We will pilot videotaped automated movement recognition techniques and formal gait analysis, as well as collect and characterize each subject's physiological and neuroimaging markers that may predict hyperkinetic pathological states and their response to therapeutic DBS.

Interventions

DEVICEDBS

Implanted in the cerebellum.

Sponsors

University of California, San Francisco
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
CollaboratorNIH
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

The differences in primary outcome scores are calculated while on intervention (effective stimulation) versus placebo (sham stimulation), using an N-of-1 trial design. Each N-of-1 trial consists of a baseline assessment prior to DBS surgery (4 weeks), DBS surgery and open label phase to determine optimal stimulation settings (20 weeks), followed by a randomized three-cycle sequence of paired 8-week exposure periods, with each pair including intervention then placebo or vice versa (24 weeks). The DBS intervention exposure will be at the personalized optimal stimulation settings determined during the open-label phase.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
7 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of DCP (dystonic and/or choreoathetotic cerebral palsy) with or without comorbid spasticity, with a clear history of hypoxic ischemic brain injury preceding motor symptoms made by a pediatric neurologist, with supporting MRI findings. * Age 7-25 at the time of surgery. * Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels II-V. * History of appropriate therapy with oral medications with inadequate relief as determined by a movement disorders or pediatric neurologist. Prior history of selective dorsal rhizotomy is allowed. * Patient and family have requested surgical intervention with DBS for their movement disorder. * No gross cerebellar abnormalities observed and reported on structural MRI. * Written informed consent and written/verbal assent for those younger than 18 years of age. * Ability to comply with study follow-up visits for brain recordings, neuroimaging and testing of sham and effective stimulation and clinical assessments.

Exclusion criteria

* Coagulopathy, uncontrolled epilepsy, severe cardiopulmonary or gastrointestinal conditions, or other medical conditions considered to place the patient at elevated risk for surgical complications. * Pregnancy: all women of child-bearing potential will be required to have a negative urine pregnancy test prior to undergoing their surgical procedure. * Exclusion of genetic mimics of cerebral palsy: exclusion of conditions that manifest with a clinical syndrome similar to CP, in the absence of documented risk factors or neuroimaging findings consistent with a history of brain injury or congenital cerebral malformation. Work up may include comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) microarray and multi-gene panel and/or whole genome or whole exome sequencing.) * Severe fixed contractions and skeletal deformities that would preclude determination of improvement. * Traumatic brain injury (i.e., non-accidental trauma) or history of infectious or autoimmune encephalitis. * Requirement of diathermy, electroconvulsive therapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Average total (global index) Movement Disorder-Childhood Rating Scale 4-18 Revised (MD-CRS 4-18-R) scoresEvaluated weekly during randomized blinded phase (total of 3 months in each condition, sham stimulation and effective stimulation).This is the primary motor outcome measure. It is the Movement Disorder-Childhood Rating Scale 4-18 Revised (MD-CRS 4-18 R). The MD-CRS 4-18 R is a validated tool aimed to evaluate movement disorders in developmental age. It is particularly useful for rating the severity of movement disorders in dyskinetic cerebral palsy. It scored based on two parts. Part I: General Assessment has a minimum total score of 0 (no impairment) and a maximum total score of 60 (maximal impairment). Part II: MD Assessment has a minimum total score of 0 (movement disorder is absent) and a maximum total score of 28 (maximal movement disorder presence).
Average total standardized Caregiver Priorities & Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD) scoresEvaluated weekly during randomized blinded phase (total of 3 months in each condition, sham stimulation and effective stimulation).This is the primary Quality of Life (QOL) outcome measure. It is the Caregiver Priorities \& Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD) scale. The CPCHILD is a reliable and valid measure of caregivers' perspectives on health status, functional limitations, and well-being of patients with severe CP, including those individuals who are non-verbal and non-ambulatory. Because many children suffering with CP are severely affected in many areas of their lives including activities of daily living, communication, mobility and overall health, there is an imperative to evaluate new interventions, especially invasive and resource-intensive ones such as DBS, using outcomes that are more meaningful to patients and their caregivers. Scores for each domain and for the total survey are standardized and range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTMarta San Luciano Palenzuela, MD, MS
Marta.SanLucianoPalenzuela@ucsf.edu4153532311
CONTACTSarah Wang, PhD, CCRP
Sarah.Wang@ucsf.edu4153537885
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMarta San Luciano Palenzuela, MD, MS

University of California, San Francisco

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 6, 2026