NCT07212634

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Dysphagia After Supratentorial Stroke

Efficacy and Mechanisms of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treating Dysphagia After Supratentorial Stroke

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 76 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 30 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

It is estimated that 400,000 to 800,000 people worldwide develop neurogenic dysphagia annually. Stroke represents the most common etiology, with approximately 65% of acute stroke patients experiencing pharyngeal swallowing difficulties. Clinical manifestations of dysphagia vary widely in severity and may include residue, reflux, delayed swallowing initiation, aspiration, and cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction. Due to its detrimental effects on nutrition, respiration, and psychosocial well-being, dysphagia significantly impairs patients' quality of life. Furthermore, the inability to swallow safely and efficiently can lead to serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and depression. The traditional swallowing rehabilitation treatment has limited effect in clinical practice, which makes it necessary to search for new effective swallowing methods. Conventional swallowing rehabilitation often yields limited clinical benefits, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic strategies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and safe neuromodulation technique that has shown promise in the field of neurorehabilitation. Its mechanisms extend beyond immediate cortical modulation and cerebral blood flow changes to include the regulation of synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitters such as glutamate and GABA, and excitability in remote subcortical regions. In recent years, tDCS has been increasingly applied to various neurological disorders, including post-stroke motor impairment, dysphagia, aphasia, depression, addiction, and spinal cord injury-related movement disorders. Currently, tDCS is being explored to elucidate its regulatory effects on cerebellar swallowing control, positioning it as a potential innovative treatment for neurogenic dysphagia.

Detailed description

This multicentre randomized controlled trial will enroll 76 patients with dysphagia after stroke from Zhejiang Provincial People' s Hospital. All patients will be centrally randomized to either tDCS combined with traditional swallowing rehabilitation or traditional rehabilitation alone. The tDCS group will be further divided into three subgroups based on stimulation parameters. Observation indicators will be Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA), videofluroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and neuroimaging examinations including fMRI, MRS And quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG).

Conditions

• Dysphagia After Stroke

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation	Different experimental groups received tDCS stimulation at the following distinct sites: bilateral cerebellar hemispheres, bilateral cortical areas corresponding to the suprahyoid muscles, and combined bilateral cerebellar hemispheres alongside bilateral cortical areas corresponding to the suprahyoid muscles. Stimulation parameters: 2 mA constant current, 20 minutes per session Treatment regimen: 5 sessions per week for 2 consecutive weeks
OTHER	Sham tDCS	The patients in this group will receive sham stimulation applied to the same area for the same duration.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-01
• Primary completion: 2027-12-01
• Completion: 2027-12-31
• First posted: 2025-10-08
• Last updated: 2025-10-08