Focused Ultrasound Foundation-sponsored Parkinson’s Study Treats Tremors

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has announced a new clinical trial investigating the use of focused ultrasound technology to treat patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. Funded in part by the Foundation, the study has treated its first two patients at the University of Virginia to evaluate the noninvasive technology’s safety and effectiveness in alleviating medication-resistant Parkinsonian tremors.

The trial, led by principal investigator W. Jeffrey Elias, MD, a University of Virginia neurosurgeon, is an FDA-approved double-blinded protocol study in which 30 patients are randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups and followed for one year. The subjects are undergoing an investigational procedure that targets a small area deep within the brain using focused sound waves guided by a magnetic resonance scanner. The noninvasive process uses no scalp incisions, electrodes or general anesthesia, allowing patients to remain awake and communicative. It has the potential to be a significant improvement over the current standard of care, which requires surgical implementation of a pacemaker in the brain. For more information, click here to read the full release.