NCT01414582

Transcranial Stimulation and Motor Training in Stroke Rehabilitation

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as a Potential Adjunct Intervention in Stroke Rehabilitation

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: Phase 2 / Phase 3
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Oxford · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to test whether repeated sessions of tDCS result in long-lasting improvements in motor function in patients with chronic stroke.

Detailed description

Previous research that utilises single sessions of tDCS have demonstrated functional improvements; however, these improvements are usually short-lived, lasting less than one hour before the patient's performance returns to baseline. It has been suggested that repeated stimulation sessions are required to elicit long-lasting improvements. We aim to consider these details over the duration of this research, during which patients with chronic stroke will attend for 16 sessions over the course of 3 months. This research has important implications; previous studies suggest that such an approach has the potential to facilitate physical rehabilitation post-stroke and establish tDCS as a clinically viable rehabilitative tool. Recovery of motor skills may take many months to acquire and therefore strategies that have the potential to enhance acquisition of skill are of practical and scientific interest.

Conditions

• Stroke
• Cerebral Infarction
• Cerebrovascular Disorders
• Brain Diseases

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Anodal tDCS	Participants will receive anodal tDCS over the primary motor cortex of the ipsilesional hemisphere. The following parameters will be used: stimulation intensity of 1mA for the first 20 minutes of motor training (9 consecutive sessions Monday-Friday).
OTHER	Motor Training	All participants will receive a standardised motor training intervention for the upper paretic limb

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-01-01
• Primary completion: 2013-12-01
• Completion: 2013-12-01
• First posted: 2011-08-11
• Last updated: 2012-06-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom