Acute Treatment of Parkinson's Disease With Gamma Frequency Stimulation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Summary
Parkinson's disease (PD) impacts different types of neural oscillations in the brain, including beta (13-30Hz) and gamma oscillations (30-80Hz), which contributes to PD's cardinal symptoms of resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), and gait instability. The investigators' lab has developed a non-invasive method of increasing gamma power in the brain using Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS) through light, sound, and tactile stimulation devices. For this study, 40 participants with mild Parkinson's disease will be recruited, and the investigators will assess their brain waves with electroencephalogram (EEG) before, during, and after light, sound, and tactile stimulation to determine the safety, feasibility, and optimization of GENUS as a potential therapy in the PD population.
Description
It is known that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have disruptions in brain waves, specifically the beta frequency (13 - 30Hz) and gamma frequency (\~30 - 100 Hz), due to the death of dopaminergic neurons in certain parts of the brain. These disruptions of brain rhythms contribute to the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's (resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia or slowness of movement and gait stability) in different ways. The investigators' lab has developed a non-invasive method of neuromodulation called Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS), which could be used for patients suf…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 45–90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Subject has Idiopathic PD defined by the cardinal sign, bradykinesia, plus the presence of at least 1 of the following: resting tremor or rigidity and without any other known or suspected cause of Parkinsonism (according to Movement disorder society (MDS) clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease confirmed by a fellowship trained movements disorder specialist * Subject is Hoehn \& Yahr stage 2 to 3 * Subject has a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score ≥26. * Subject is \> 45 and \<90 years of age. * proficient in speaking, reading, and understanding Engli…
Interventions
- DeviceGENUS device (Active Settings)
Participants in the active, experimental group will use the GENUS devices configured to active (40Hz) setting for 30-60 minutes
- DeviceGENUS device (Sham settings)
Participants in the control group will use the GENUS devices configured to the sham settings for 30-60 minutes
Location
- Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts