Enhancing Gait Using Alternating-Frequency DBS in Parkinson Disease (ENGAGE-PD)

January 12, 2026 updated by: James Liao

ENGAGE-PD: Enhancing Gait Using Alternating-Frequency DBS in Parkinson Disease

The purpose of this study is to assess how alternating-frequency Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) works to improve postural instability and gait, while also treating other motor symptoms of Parkinson Disease (PD).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

Postural instability, gait impairment, and falls are among the greatest unmet needs in Parkinson disease (PD). A single fall can be catastrophic, and impairments that limit mobility lead to social isolation or depression, and adversely affect bone and cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, postural instability and gait disorders are refractory to current pharmacological and surgical treatments, including deep brain stimulation (DBS). This project will directly address this pressing need. We will recruit participants to perform a gait task, using a new, alternating DBS frequency paradigm, while body movements and neural signals are recorded. The findings will lead to improved therapies to address these symptoms in the future.

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 (Estimated)

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.
12

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.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: James Liao, MD PhD
  • Phone Number: 216-445-1108
  • Email: liaoj2@ccf.org

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic Foundation

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

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Bilateral STN DBS for PD
  • Medtronic Percept PC implanted DBS battery/pulse generator/recording system
  • Presence of balance and/or walking impairment and/or freezing of gait
  • Can walk without assistance, OFF meds, based on yes/no verbal response

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severity of gait impairment should not require dependency to walker or cane
  • Cannot tolerate monopolar stimulation at either of the two middle electrode contacts (prerequisite for the recording mode of the DBS) at high frequency (130 Hz) or low frequency (60 Hz).
  • Concomitant conditions that may affect significantly the evaluation of balance or gait, including orthopedic, rheumatologic or other neurological diseases
  • Contraindication to physical therapy
  • Age < 21
  • Diagnosis of dementia
  • Not agreeable to having video taken of entire research visit

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: Alternating-Frequency DBS
In this single-arm study, all participants will receive all interventions in a crossover fashion.
Device: High-Frequency-Only Stimulation
Control condition, constant high-frequency DBS stimulation (130Hz)
Device: Low-Frequency-Only Stimulation
Experimental condition, constant low-frequency DBS stimulation (60 Hz)
Device: Alternating, 50 sec High-Frequency, 10 sec Low-Frequency Stimulation
Experimental condition where stimulation frequency is changed from high (130Hz) to low (60Hz) frequency. The time interval for each frequency is 50 seconds for high, and 10 seconds for low, respectively.
Device: Alternating, 50 sec High-Frequency, 50 sec Low-Frequency Stimulation
Experimental condition where stimulation frequency is changed from high (130Hz) to low (60Hz) frequency. The time interval for each frequency is 50 seconds for high, and 50 seconds for low, respectively.
Device: Alternating, 10 sec High-Frequency, 50 sec Low-Frequency Stimulation
Experimental condition where stimulation frequency is changed from high (130Hz) to low (60Hz) frequency. The time interval for each frequency is 10 seconds for high, and 50 seconds for low, respectively.
Device: Alternating, 10 sec High-Frequency, 10 sec Low-Frequency Stimulation
Experimental condition where stimulation frequency is changed from high (130Hz) to low (60Hz) frequency. The time interval for each frequency is 10 seconds for high, and 10 seconds for low, respectively.
Drug: OFF Dopaminergic Medication
All six device interventions will be performed in medication OFF state
Drug: ON Dopaminergic Medication
All six device interventions will be performed in medication ON state

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
Stride Time Coefficient of Variation
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of gait instability, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
Percentage of Time with Tremor Present
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of tremor severity, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
Tremor Amplitude
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of tremor severity, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total Freezing Time
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of gait instability, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
Freezing Index
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of gait instability, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
Gait Velocity
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of bradykinesia, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
Step Cadence
Time Frame: During the intervention
Marker of bradykinesia, derived from kinematic recordings from body-worn wireless sensors.
During the intervention
LFP and EEG power spectrum correlation with behavior and kinematics
Time Frame: During the intervention
Neural recordings (LFP = Local Field Potential and EEG = Electroencephalogram) from the DBS electrode and from EEG electrodes will be analyzed in the frequency domain. Assessed frequency bands will include delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma activity. These will be correlated with behavior and kinematic recordings to determine the neural correlates of gait instability and other parkinsonian symptoms.
During the intervention
LFP and EEG connectivity correlation with behavior and kinematics
Time Frame: During the intervention
Neural recordings (LFP = Local Field Potential and EEG = Electroencephalogram) consist of multiple channels of simultaneously measured electrical activity. Connectivity is a measure of correlations between each pair of recorded and postprocessed channels, at each frequency band, over time. A machine learning algorithm will be trained to correlate the connectivity to behavior and kinematic recordings, to determine the neural correlates of gait instability and other parkinsonian symptoms.
During the intervention

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.
James Liao

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: James Liao, MD PhD, The Cleveland Clinic

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.
October 4, 2021

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.
November 15, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2026

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).
August 9, 2021

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.
August 19, 2021

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 26, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
January 13, 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.
January 12, 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.
September 1, 2025

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.
  • 21-739

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

At time of publication, a point of contact individual on the study team will be identified. Third parties will be able to request access to de-identified data used to support the publication findings by application to the Cleveland Clinic IRB. A data use agreement will be put in place between the CCF Cleveland Clinic and this third party for approved use of the data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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