Motor Excitability Study of High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) in Chronic Stroke

November 16, 2022 updated by: Raymond KY Tong, Chinese University of Hong Kong
High definition tDCS will be conducted to both stroke and healthy subjects on primary motor cortex area to explore the motor excitability changes before and after stimulation. In next stage, a randomized control trial with 20-session training will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of transient modulation of cortical excitability through multisite HD-tDCS with EMG driven robot hand training, a sham stimulation with EMG-driven robot hand training will be applied as control group.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
        • Contact:
          • Raymond Tong, PhD
          • Phone Number: +852 3943 8454

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Sufficient cognition to follow simple instructions, as well as understand the content and purpose of the experiment;
  2. Have moderate to severe motor disability at the paretic upper limb (assessed by Fugl-Meter Assessment (FMA), and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT));
  3. Hemiparesis resulting from a single unilateral lesion of the brain with onset at least 6 months before data collection

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe hand spasticity, open hand wound or hand deformity;
  2. Visual field deficits;
  3. Aphasia, neglect, and apraxia;
  4. History of alcohol, drug abuse or epilepsy;
  5. Bilateral infracts;
  6. Uncontrolled medical problems;
  7. Serious cognitive deficits [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 21];
  8. Major depression
  9. Metal implants inside body
  10. MRI, TMS and tDCS contraindications

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Anode HD-tDCS
The center anode is fixed on the ipsilesional primary motor cortex and the 4 surrounding cathode electrodes will be placed about 6 cm to the center.
Device: HD-tDCS
Different stimulation protocols will be applied to the primary motor cortex of stroke patients. After 20-minute stimulation, EMG-driven robot hand training will be conducted.
Experimental: Cathode HD-tDCS
The center cathode is fixed on the contralesional primary motor cortex and the 4 surrounding anode electrodes will be placed about 6 cm to the center.
Device: HD-tDCS
Different stimulation protocols will be applied to the primary motor cortex of stroke patients. After 20-minute stimulation, EMG-driven robot hand training will be conducted.
Placebo Comparator: Sham HD-tDCS
The center anode is fixed on the ipsilesional primary motor cortex and the 4 surrounding cathode electrodes will be placed about 6 cm to the center.
Device: HD-tDCS
Different stimulation protocols will be applied to the primary motor cortex of stroke patients. After 20-minute stimulation, EMG-driven robot hand training will be conducted.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Electroencephalography (EEG) and Electromyography (EMG)
Time Frame: Before intervention, During intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
It is used to investigate the changes in corticomuscular coherence for studying connectivity between the brainwave using EEG and the affected hand muscles using EMG. In addition, EMG will be used to detect muscle activation change and muscle co-contraction pattern alteration.
Before intervention, During intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT)
Time Frame: Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
The ARAT is a 19-item measure divided into 4 sub-tests (grasp, grip, pinch, and gross arm movement) to assess upper limb functioning
Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE)
Time Frame: Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
It is used to evaluate and measure upper-limb recovery in post-stroke hemiplegic patients, and items are scored on a 3-point ordinal scale
Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Time Frame: Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
It is used to identify neural correlates of stimulation-induced behavioral gains for investigating tDCS-induced changes in brain activations
Before intervention, After intervention, 6-month after intervention
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Time Frame: Before intervention
It is used to measure the changes in interhemispheric imbalance and corticospinal excitability
Before intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Chinese University of Hong Kong

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Raymond Kai-yu Tong, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, CUHK

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 20, 2016

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2022

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 14, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 9, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 21, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 16, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2015.691-T

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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