Deep Brain Stimulation in Pediatric Populations: A Scoping Review of the Clinical Trial Landscape.

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

Bilateral globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation in medication-refractory dystonia secondary to infantile acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: illustrative case.Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons · 2026
Article
Electrical Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens for Severe, Refractory Self-Injurious Behaviour in Children (EASE-SIB): protocol for a randomised double-blinded crossover trial.BMJ open · 2026
Article
Global scientific trends on neuroimaging in obsessive-compulsive disorder in the early twenty-first century: a bibliometric analysis and visualization analysis.Annals of general psychiatry · 2026
Review
Neurosurgery to restore function in cerebral palsy: current practice and emerging therapies.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026
Review
Exploring the efficacy of deep brain stimulation in pediatric neurological disorders: a comprehensive review.Acta epileptologica · 2025
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Youngkyung JungDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, jessica.jung@medportal.ca.

Karim MithaniDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Hrishikesh SureshDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Nebras WarsiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Irene E HarmsenDivision of Neurosurgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sara BreitbartDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Carolina GorodetskyDivision of Neurology, Hospital for SickKids, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Alfonso FasanoInstitute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Aria FallahDepartment of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Aristides HadjinicolaouDivision of Neurology, Hospital for SickKids, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Alexander WeilDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, Montreal, Québec, Canada.

George M IbrahimInstitute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThere has been rapid advancement in the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment option for adults for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Here, we present a scoping review of completed and ongoing clinical trials focused on DBS in pediatric populations, highlighting key knowledge gaps.

methodsThree databases (PubMed, OVID, and Embase) and the <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://clinicaltrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link> registry were queried to identify clinical trials for DBS in pediatric cohorts (age ≤18 years). Prospective and retrospective case series were excluded. No restrictions were placed on the diagnoses or measured clinical outcomes. Individual patient demographics, diagnosis, DBS target, and primary endpoints were extracted and summarized.

resultsA total of 13 clinical trials were included in the final review, consisting of 9 completed trials (357 screened) and 4 ongoing trials (82 screened). Of the completed trials, 6 studied dystonia (both inherited and acquired; participants aged 4-18 years) and 3 studied drug-resistant epilepsy (participants aged 4-17 years). Among the 6 trials for dystonia, 5 used the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) as the primary endpoint. There were a total of 18 adverse events documented across 63 participants, with 5 of 9 studies reporting adverse events. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating DBS for dystonia (N = 2), epilepsy (N = 1), and self-injurious behavior (N = 1).

conclusionsThis scoping review summarizes the landscape of clinical trials for DBS in children and youth. In dystonia, further research is warranted with more relevant pediatric outcome measures and for understudied patient subgroups and targets. There are also significant gaps in our understanding of evaluating the role of DBS in other neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders in pediatric populations.

introductionThere has been rapid advancement in the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment option for adults for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Here, we present a scoping review of completed and ongoing clinical trials focused on DBS in pediatric populations, highlighting key knowledge gaps.

methodsThree databases (PubMed, OVID, and Embase) and the <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://clinicaltrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link> registry were queried to identify clinical trials for DBS in pediatric cohorts (age ≤18 years). Prospective and retrospective case series were excluded. No restrictions were placed on the diagnoses or measured clinical outcomes. Individual patient demographics, diagnosis, DBS target, and primary endpoints were extracted and summarized.

resultsA total of 13 clinical trials were included in the final review, consisting of 9 completed trials (357 screened) and 4 ongoing trials (82 screened). Of the completed trials, 6 studied dystonia (both inherited and acquired; participants aged 4-18 years) and 3 studied drug-resistant epilepsy (participants aged 4-17 years). Among the 6 trials for dystonia, 5 used the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) as the primary endpoint. There were a total of 18 adverse events documented across 63 participants, with 5 of 9 studies reporting adverse events. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating DBS for dystonia (N = 2), epilepsy (N = 1), and self-injurious behavior (N = 1).

conclusionsThis scoping review summarizes the landscape of clinical trials for DBS in children and youth. In dystonia, further research is warranted with more relevant pediatric outcome measures and for understudied patient subgroups and targets. There are also significant gaps in our understanding of evaluating the role of DBS in other neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders in pediatric populations.

Indexed as

Clinical Trials as TopicDeep Brain StimulationDrug Resistant EpilepsyDystoniaAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolHumansTreatment OutcomeClinical trialDeep brain stimulationPediatrics