High-definition Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

March 30, 2021 updated by: Taipei Medical University

Application of High-definition Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in the Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tCES) is a non-invasive and safe treatment, which uses a low direct current or alternating current to change the excitability of the cerebral cortex. The tCES has been applied in clinical trials related to rehabilitation research in recent years, and the safety and effectiveness have also been established. However,the existing tCES products effect on the whole brain networks and lack special waveforms. Therefore, we aim to develop a wearable tCES with high definition and special waveforms in this study. This novel stimulation system will result in more precise and focal stimulation of selected brain regions with special waveforms to display better neuromodulation performance. We expect that the novel high-definition tCES (HD-tCES) combined with the upper extremity rehabilitation can shorten the duration of rehabilitative periods, improve stroke patients' activity of daily living, reduce the care burden of patients' family, and subsequently decrease the cost of health care insurance.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Actual)

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.
24

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 Locations

  • Taiwan
      • New Taipei City, Taiwan
        • Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital,Ministry of Health and Welfare
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 110
        • Taipei Medical University Hospital
      • Taipei, Taiwan
        • Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital - Taipei Medical University

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

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age ≥ 20 years.
  2. Unilateral cerebral stroke with hemiplegia in Brunnstrom stage III-V.
  3. 6 months to 5 years after stroke.
  4. Muscular inelasticity (spasticity) 1-3 on the affected upper limb, evaluated by the Modified Ashworth Scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Extremely sensitive to electrical stimulation and cannot tolerate it.
  2. Contracture on upper extremities, and limitation in joint range of motion.
  3. The muscle tone was severe spasticity,
  4. Ossification or inflammation in muscle tissue.
  5. A history of cardiopulmonary disease or arrhythmia.
  6. With implantable medical electronic devices, like pacemaker.
  7. Pressure sores or wounds on the skin of head and upper extremities.
  8. Metal implants in the head (neck).
  9. Severe cognitive or psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder.
  10. A history of seizure or other brain pathology.
  11. Brain surgery or severe brain trauma.
  12. Drug or alcohol abuse.
  13. Malignant neoplasm or rheumatism disorder, like SLE, RA, or AS.

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: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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: HD-tCES & upper extremity rehabilitation
The experiment group will receive HD-tCES combined with upper extremity rehabilitation of affected side.
Device: HD-tCES
The positions of the lesion side primary motor cortex were defined as C3/C4 according to the international 10-20 system of electroencephalograms. HD-tCES will be applied for 20 minutes at an intensity of 1.0 mA direct current stimulation and a specific-added waveform each time, 3 times a week, lasting for 4 weeks.
Other: Upper extremity rehabilitation
Upper extremity rehabilitation programs will be selected and graded in accordance with each patient's upper extremity function and specific aims of activities of daily living. Upper extremity rehabilitation will be provided for 30 minutes each time, 3 times a week, lasting for 4 weeks.
Sham Comparator: Sham HD-tCES & upper extremity rehabilitation
The sham control group will receive sham HD-tCES combined with upper extremity rehabilitation of affected side.
Other: Upper extremity rehabilitation
Upper extremity rehabilitation programs will be selected and graded in accordance with each patient's upper extremity function and specific aims of activities of daily living. Upper extremity rehabilitation will be provided for 30 minutes each time, 3 times a week, lasting for 4 weeks.
Device: Sham HD-tCES
The positions of the lesion side primary motor cortex were defined as C3/C4 according to the international 10-20 system of electroencephalograms. Sham HD-tCES will consist of a 5-second ramp up to 1.0 mA direct current stimulation and a specific-added waveform followed immediately by a 5-second ramp down, no current in the middle 19 minutes 40 seconds, and a ramp-up and ramp-down period during the last 10 seconds.

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
Change from baseline in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper extremity scale (FMA-UE) after intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
The FMA-UE assesses motor functioning of upper extremity. Each movement is estimated by a 3-point scale (0-1-2). The total score of the FMA-UE is 66, and a higher score indicates that the patient has better movement ability.
Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)

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
Change from baseline in the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) after intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
The WMFT assesses upper extremity motor ability through timed and functional tasks. The items are rated on a 6-point scale (0-1-2-3-4-5). The total score of the WMFT is 75, with higher scores indicating higher functioning levels.
Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
Change from baseline in the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT) after intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
The JTT assesses hand functions commonly used in activities of daily living. The subtests are scored according to time taken to complete the task. Total score is the sum of time taken for each subtest, with shorter times indicating better performance.
Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
Change from baseline in the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) after intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
The MAS is commonly used in clinical practice for grading spasticity. The MAS is rated on a 6-point scale (0, 1, 1+, 2, 3, 4), and a higher score indicates that the patient has higher muscle tension. The muscles being assessed include shoulder abductor, elbow flexor, elbow extensor, wrist flexor, and finger flexor.
Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
Change from baseline in the Finger to Nose Test after intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
The Finger to Nose Test assesses coordination of upper-extremity movement. The number of complete nose-target movements during a 20-second period will be recorded.
Baseline (within 7 days ahead to the 1st intervention session) and after 4-week intervention (within 7 days after the last intervention session)
Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events [safety and tolerability]
Time Frame: Within 10 minutes after each intervention session (a total of 12 sessions, 3 sessions/week, lasting 4 weeks)
Immediately after each HD-tCES stimulation, the patient will be questioned about eventual side effect.
Within 10 minutes after each intervention session (a total of 12 sessions, 3 sessions/week, lasting 4 weeks)

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.
Taipei Medical University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cheng Kung University
Ministry of Science and Technology, R.O.C (Taiwan)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
March 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
March 12, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
March 12, 2021

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).
February 18, 2020

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.
February 19, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

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.
February 20, 2020

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.
April 1, 2021

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.
March 30, 2021

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.
March 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • N201909051
  • MOST-108-2321-B-038-002 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Ministry of Science and Technology, R.O.C. (Taiwan))

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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