A Study to Evaluate Temporary Blood Brain Barrier Disruption in Patients With Parkinson's Disease Dementia

March 19, 2026 updated by: InSightec

A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Feasibility of Temporary Blood Brain Barrier Disruption (BBBD) Using Exablate MR Guided Focused Ultrasound in Patients With Parkinson's Disease Dementia

The goal of this prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, feasibility study is to develop data to evaluate the safety and initial efficacy of this treatment (temporary disruption of the BBB) using this ExAblate Model 4000 Type 2 System in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson´s Disease Dementia

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a prospective, single-arm, non-randomized, safety and feasibility trial of focal BBB disruption using the ExAblate® Model 4000 Type 2 (220 kHz) system with Luminity® ultrasound contrast in 10 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's Disease Dementia. Patients, together with their caregivers, will be approached after their identification by a team of neurosurgeons and neurologists who specialize in the management of cognitive disorders and functional neurosurgery. The study will be discussed with them, and all patients, or their legal representatives will provide informed consent to participate in the study.

This first in human trial will be divided into two stages. In the first stage, patients will undergo small volume BBB disruption, establishing the minimum required sonication parameters to open the BBB, as evidenced by gadolinium enhancement on T1-weighted MRI. Stage I is defined as a discrete region of approximately 9 mm x 9 mm area in the right parietooccipitotemporal cortex. Multiple sonications will be performed starting at low energy and ramping up until the BBB is observed to open.

The subjects will then be removed from the ExAblate® Neuro device and followed for safety for 2 weeks. If the subject experienced BBB disruption without any serious adverse effects (such as brain edema), then the subject may proceed to Stage II where a larger volume (2.5-3.0 cm) will be targeted. Subjects will be followed for an additional 2 weeks for safety and preliminary effectiveness.

The staged approach will allow determination of:

  1. Safety of BBB disruption
  2. Feasibility of disruption the BBB
  3. Reversibility of BBB disruption
  4. Reproducibility of BBB disruption

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Madrid
      • Móstoles, Madrid, Spain, 28938
        • HM Hospitales Puerta del Sur - CINAC

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Primary Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Parkinson´s Disease, according to the UK Parkinson´s Disease Society Brain Bank (Gelb et al. 1999)
  2. Parkinson´s Disease patients diagnosed with mild-moderate dementia according to the Movement Disorders Criteria (Emre et al. 2007)
  3. Able and willing to give informed consent, or has delegated this to a substitute decision maker.
  4. Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores ≥16 (able to complete a Neuropsychological evaluation)
  5. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score of ≤ 20
  6. Age: 60-80 years
  7. Able to attend all study visits (i.e., life expectancy of 1 year).

Primary Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Clips or other metallic implanted objects in the skull or the brain, except shunts
  2. Significant cardiac disease or unstable hemodynamic status
  3. Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic > 150 and diastolic BP > 100 on medication)
  4. Medications known to increase risk of hemorrhage, (e.g.: patients should be off of ASA for at least 7 days prior to treatment) or anticoagulants
  5. History of a bleeding disorder
  6. Significant depression and at potential risk of suicide
  7. Known sensitivity/allergy to gadolinium
  8. Any contraindications to MRI scanning
  9. History of seizure disorder or epilepsy
  10. History of drug or alcohol use disorder who may be at higher risk for seizure, infection, or poor executive functioning
  11. Chronic breathing disorders

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: ExAblate
ExAblate MR Guided Focused Ultrasound
Device: MR Guided Focused Ultrasound
Blood Brain Barrier Disruption using FUS
Other Names:
  • ExAblate

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of participants with treatment related Adverse Events as assessed by patient examination and MR imaging
Time Frame: Treatment through Day 14 after Second Treatment
Adverse events will be categorized according to severity, relationship to surgical procedure, and relationship to ExAblate device.
Treatment through Day 14 after Second Treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
InSightec

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jose Obeso, MD, PhD, Director of CINAC

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 26, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 31, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 9, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 1, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 24, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 1, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PD008

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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