An interventional study of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) and Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 6, sponsored by University of California, San Francisco. Recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 89 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-13.
Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
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Among 36 studies in Spinocerebellar Ataxias with a site in United States — 7 open to participants now, 14 under way, 2 of them phase 3. Spinocerebellar Ataxias · United States.
Among the 36 studies in Spinocerebellar Ataxias with a site in United States, this one is the 18th largest by planned enrollment of the 22 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 6 that started in 2026, is one of 13 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 9 of the 13 other live ones, and was the 32nd registered.
95 studies on the registry are indexed under Spinocerebellar Ataxias; 25 are open to participants now.
Browse Spinocerebellar Ataxias studies →7 of the 36 studies in Spinocerebellar Ataxias with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:
University of Florida · Sites in United States
Ages 21–89
Sanford Health · Sites in United States
Lauren Moore · Sites in United States, Canada
Ages 6+ · Healthy volunteers
University of Washington · Sites in United States
Ages 18–70
BioSensics · Sites in United States
Ages 18–75
A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →
Of the 16 Spinocerebellar Ataxias studies recruiting now, 8 (50%) set no upper age limit and 3 (19%) stop at 75 or younger; 4 take children under 18; 5 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 21 Years to 89 Years · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.
The full table on the hub →This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
36 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
A study in two phases is counted once above. Listed by phase, each with its combined phases: Phase 1 3 · Phase 2 3 · Phase 3 4
First in 2008; this study’s year is marked. 6 started in 2026.
By drug class, each counting the studies that test any of its medicines:
This study's planned enrollment of 5 is below the median of 29 across 61 interventional studies indexed under Spinocerebellar Ataxias.
Median enrollment 20 across the 22 interventional studies, 164 across the 14 observational. Of the 17 that completed or were terminated, 5 (29%) have results posted.
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7 of 36 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
University of California, San Francisco is the lead sponsor of 2,171 studies on the registry; 370 are open to participants now.
Of its 268 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 203 (76%) have results posted.
University of California, San Francisco has 1 study filed under Spinocerebellar Ataxias — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
3 of the studies in Spinocerebellar Ataxias with a site in United States that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 0 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT04529252Mayo ClinicInvestigating the Genetic and Phenotypic Presentation of Ataxia and Nucleotide Repeat Diseases | 2026-12 |
| NCT07930481University of WashingtonNon-invasive Spinal Stimulation for Gait in Genetic Spasticity | 2027-06 |
| NCT02994719Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterGait Analysis in Neurological Disease | 2027-07-07 |
Add all 3 to your calendar (.ics) → With an account.
Among the 36 studies in Spinocerebellar Ataxias with a site in United States, from their registry updates:
This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the safety of placing Deep Brain Stimulators (DBS) in the cerebellum and using electrical stimulation of that part of the brain to treat symptoms related to the participants spinocerebellar ataxia. Five adults diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) with inadequate cerebellar symptom relief will be implanted with a Medtronic Percept Primary Cell Neurostimulator. The device will be implanted into the dentate nucleus, which is a structure located within the cerebellum that is responsible for controlling movement and balance.
Specifically, the investigators will be using adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS), which analyzes brain signals and automatically adjusts the strength, timing, and pattern of stimulation according to the patient's needs at any given moment. This study will evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of aDBS in SCA6 patients.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Evidence of ataxia due to other etiologies, including but not limited to:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
MMSE and MoCA
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Relapsed and refractory
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
One month after patients undergo DBS surgery in the cerebellum, conventional deep brain stimulation (cDBS) programming will begin to identify stimulation parameters (such as amplitude, contact, frequency, and pulse width) and ensure no adverse wide effects are witness. This phase also allows the study team to make sure device and electrode placement are working as intended. About nine months after implantation, the investigators will switch system settings over to aDBS to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability in the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum. Symptoms and side effects will be assessed by patients' self-reports, validated clinical scales, and wearable devices, which will be used to track movements and sleep data.
Device: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
This device will be surgically implanted into the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum.
Also known as: Medtronic Percept
Average total score for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)
SARA is a clinical scale that assesses a variety of different impairments for individuals with cerebellar ataxia. The scale includes 8 different items that are related to gait, stance, sitting, speech, finger-chase test, nose-finger test, fast alternating movements, and heel-shin test. The total amount of points on SARA ranges from 0 (no ataxia) to 40 (most severe ataxia). This study requires participants to have a minimum SARA score of at least 8 so that people who are relatively early in their disease course with limited cerebellar degeneration can be included.
Time frame: From baseline through study completion, about 2 years.
Average total Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia (PROM-Ataxia) Score
PROM-Ataxia is a 3-domain, 70-item questionnaire used for the assessment of ataxia-related symptoms. It incorporates a series of questions ranging to the impact of cerebellar dysfunction on physical abilities, activities of daily living, and cognitive-emotional challenges. The maximum severity score on PROM-Ataxia is 280, where all 70 questions are scored on a 0-4 Likert scale. 0 represents never and 4 represents always.
Time frame: From baseline through study completion, about 2 years.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Apr 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2029, 35 months after the start.
Of 28 interventional studies with no phase under Spinocerebellar Ataxias, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 7 and three quarters within 30. This study's planned 35 months is above that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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University of California, San Francisco →