Phase-locked brain stimulation for people with Parkinson's disease

This study is looking for people who are aged 18 or older and are already receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment for Parkinson's disease. This means you must have had the DBS electrodes implanted.

However, there are some reasons why someone might not be able to join. If you've had any serious complications after your first DBS surgery, like bleeding in the brain or confusion, you wouldn't be able to take part. Also, if a doctor thinks you wouldn't be able to understand the study well enough to give your permission (consent), or if you couldn't do the simple tasks required for the study, you wouldn't be eligible. They might do a quick test to check your memory and thinking skills if there are any concerns.

If you decide to take part in this study, you won't need to change your usual Parkinson's medication for the study itself, though you might be asked to briefly pause it just for the morning of the study, similar to missing a dose. The main part of your involvement will be a session lasting up to two hours at the University of Oxford. During this session, researchers will set up different stimulation levels using your existing DBS device.

You'll be asked to do some simple movement tasks, such as tapping your fingers or holding a steady position with your eyes closed. Meanwhile, the researchers will be recording signals from your brain and muscles. They will test how you perform these tasks under three different conditions: with your usual DBS turned on, with this new `phase-locked` DBS, and with no stimulation. This helps them compare the different approaches and see if the new method is more effective. Taking part in this study will not affect the usual medical care you receive.