Research You Can Join

Clinical Trials Now Enrolling.

Investigational treatments for depression, epilepsy, chronic pain, cancer pain, tremor, and paralysis, offered through formal studies at UCLA.

Dr. Bari leads or performs the surgery for the studies below. A clinical trial is the only way to receive a treatment that is not yet approved, and every study has strict entry criteria and its own consent process. If one of these fits your situation, mention it when you call, and the study team will review whether you qualify. Participation is always voluntary and never affects your access to standard care.

Depression · Enrolling

TRANSCEND: Deep Brain Stimulation For Treatment-Resistant Depression

Sponsor: Abbott · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06423430

Dr. Bari is the implanting neurosurgeon for the UCLA site, in partnership with UCLA Psychiatry.

What The Study Tests

A prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study of DBS of the subcallosal cingulate white matter for major depressive disorder that has not responded to at least four adequate antidepressant treatments. About 100 patients at up to 25 US sites. After implant, half receive active stimulation and half sham for twelve months; everyone then receives active stimulation, with follow-up to 36 months.

Who May Qualify

Adults 22 to 70 with non-psychotic, unipolar major depressive disorder
A current episode of at least twelve months, or more than three lifetime episodes
At least four failed antidepressant treatments
Medically stable, with treatment stable for at least four weeks before enrollment
Not eligible: psychotic features, high current suicide risk, pregnancy, or ongoing use of another neurostimulation treatment, ketamine, or esketamine during the study

Epilepsy · Enrolling

EPIC: NRTX-1001 Cell Therapy For Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Sponsor: Neurona Therapeutics · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05135091

Dr. Bari performs the image-guided delivery of the cells at UCLA, with the UCLA epilepsy team.

What The Study Tests

A Phase 3, randomized, sham-controlled trial of NRTX-1001, a one-time transplant of human inhibitory interneurons (GABA-producing nerve cells) into the seizure focus in the temporal lobe, for drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy on one side. The cells are meant to quiet the seizure network without removing tissue. Participants take a temporary immunosuppressant for one year and are followed for two years, then yearly.

Who May Qualify

Adults 18 to 75 with focal seizures from one temporal lobe (unilateral MTLE)
Seizures despite adequate trials of at least two antiseizure medicines
A single seizure focus confirmed within one hippocampus
At least two disabling seizures per month on average
Not eligible: prior temporal lobectomy or laser ablation, a seizure focus outside the hippocampus, status epilepticus within three years, immunodeficiency, or a possible malignant lesion on MRI

Chronic Pain · Enrolling

Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Subgenual Cingulate For Chronic Low Back Pain

Sponsor: UCLA, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NINDS UH3 NS113661) · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04085406

Dr. Bari is the principal investigator. This is the first-in-human study of DBS for chronic low back pain.

What The Study Tests

An early feasibility study of DBS of the subgenual cingulate cortex, the emotional hub of the pain network, for severe chronic low back pain that has not responded to medication, injections, spine surgery, or spinal cord stimulation. The study measures safety, pain, disability, and opioid use, and uses recordings from the implanted electrodes and diffusion MRI to refine the target.

Who May Qualify

Adults with chronic low back pain for years despite comprehensive treatment
Failed or ineligible for spinal cord stimulation
Willing to complete an extended evaluation, surgery, and about a year of study visits
Detailed criteria are reviewed at screening

Essential Tremor · Enrolling

Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound For Essential Tremor

Sponsor: UCLA · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07599592

Dr. Bari is a study investigator with the UCLA focused ultrasound and neurology teams.

What The Study Tests

An open-label pilot study of repeated low-intensity focused ultrasound pulses aimed at the tremor center of the thalamus (Vim). Unlike the focused ultrasound treatment Dr. Bari uses clinically, this does not make a lesion; it tests whether gentle, non-destructive pulses over six sessions in about two weeks can safely and temporarily calm tremor. Tremor is measured with clinical scales and accelerometers before and after, with follow-up at one and three months.

Who May Qualify

Adults 18 to 90 with essential tremor of at least three years
Not eligible: DBS electrodes in the brain, blood thinners, a stroke within six months, a history of aneurysm or skull fracture, or severe white-matter disease on MRI

Cancer Pain · Enrolling

FREEDOM: Radiosurgery For Refractory Cancer Pain

Sponsor: UCLA, funded by Brainlab

Dr. Bari is the principal investigator and performs the radiosurgery with UCLA Radiation Oncology.

What The Study Tests

A UCLA prospective, single-arm study of a single-session stereotactic radiosurgery treatment for severe cancer pain that opioids no longer control. Three small targets are treated in one outpatient session with no incision or anesthesia: the centromedian-parafascicular complex of the thalamus on both sides, which shapes how pain is felt, and the pituitary stalk, whose irradiation has relieved cancer pain in earlier small series. Pain, opioid use, mood, sleep, and function are followed for 28 days; the first patients are observed in hospital for safety.

Who May Qualify

Adults 18 and older with mixed, complex cancer pain
Worst pain above 8 out of 10 despite optimized opioid treatment
No suitable further pain procedure, or the patient declines one
Able to consent and complete the study assessments and imaging
Not eligible: brain tumor or prior brain radiation, prior craniotomy, DBS, laser ablation, or other intracranial hardware, pregnancy or breastfeeding

Paralysis · Enrolling

Brain-Computer Interface For Paralysis: Utah Array Implants With Caltech

Sponsor: California Institute of Technology (Richard A. Andersen, PhD), with UCLA and Casa Colina · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01958086

Dr. Bari is a study investigator and performs the array implants at UCLA, in collaboration with Richard Andersen’s laboratory at Caltech.

What The Study Tests

An early feasibility study of an intracortical brain-computer interface for people with severe paralysis. Utah arrays, silicon grids of one hundred hair-thin electrodes, are implanted in the movement-planning and sensory areas of the cortex. Recorded brain activity is decoded into control of a computer cursor, a tablet, or a robotic limb, and in some participants stimulation through the arrays restores a sense of touch. Participants train with the research team several days a week over months to years.

Who May Qualify

Adults 22 to 65 with paralysis from spinal cord injury, ALS, or another cause, able to communicate by speech
Medically cleared for surgery, with a stable ventilator status if ventilated, and a life expectancy over a year
Living within 60 miles of the study sites and able to attend sessions up to five days a week, with a caregiver to check the surgical site
Not eligible: intellectual impairment, untreated major psychiatric illness, poor vision, pregnancy, or active infection

Study details are summarized from each ClinicalTrials.gov listing and the sponsor’s investigator materials, and can change. The listing controls.

Consultations In Los Angeles

Interested In A Study?

Call to ask whether you might qualify. The study coordinator will explain the screening steps and what participation involves.

Request A Consultation or call 310-825-5111