NCT04968743

Phase-dependent Evaluation of Motor Cortex Excitability With TMS in Stroke

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 24 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Minnesota · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on motor cortex excitability in individuals who have suffered stroke and to study the influence of the phase of the oscillatory rhythm (mu frequency) on motor excitability in stroke individuals.

Detailed description

Neurological disorders, including stroke, are associated with impaired movement leading to significant negative effects on quality of life. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly being explored as a rehabilitation strategy to enhance plasticity in motor regions. However, it is not yet fully understood how TMS acts on motor circuits and what optimal stimulation parameters are. TMS is a noninvasive neuromodulation method which enables in vivo perturbation of neural activity in humans through the application of electromagnetic fields to the brain. TMS has an established safety profile and has been explored extensively in clinical trials for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Particularly, in potential positive effects of TMS have been identified for stroke rehabilitation. However, significant variability in treatment outcomes across patients has been found, making it necessary to improve current stimulation protocols and to investigate basic mechanism of action . The investigators plan to study the effects of TMS to the motor cortex in individuals who suffered stroke for movement rehabilitation. The investigators plan to measure motor evoked potentials (MEPs) at different phases of the motor mu-rhythm measured with EEG. Mu rhythms are related to healthy movement execution. By this, the investigators characterize phase-dependent cortical excitability differences in stroke.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)	TMS will be administrated with a Magstim 70mm figure-8 coil allowing for focal stimulation. Single-pulse TMS will be applied at different phases, (0, 90, 180, 270 degrees - 4 stimulation conditions), of the ongoing mu-rhythm. Positioning of the TMS coil will be neuronavigated based on individual MRI scans. Stimulation will be applied in a closed-loop fashion while the participant is at rest and their EEG activity is recorded.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-10-01
• Primary completion: 2025-10-01
• Completion: 2025-10-01
• First posted: 2021-07-20
• Last updated: 2025-11-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study