Cerebellar TDCS for SRPCS Treatment

March 18, 2025 updated by: Justin Deters, University of Iowa

Bilateral Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for the Treatment of Sports-Related Post-Concussion Syndrome (SRPCS)

This study is investigating the immediate and long-term effects of bilateral cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on cognition, balance, and symptom severity in people with sports-related post-concussion syndrome. The central hypothesis is that tDCS will provide improvements in cognitive deficits, balance, and overall symptom attenuation in people with SRPCS both acutely and at 2 and 4 week follow ups. The researchers further hypothesize that cerebellar tDCS will ameliorate the symptoms of people with SRPCS.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not 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.

Detailed Description

The long term goal is to develop an effective and broadly applicable treatment modality for athletes who develop SPRCS. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of multiple (5 consecutive daily) sessions of 2 milliampere (mA) right cerebellar tDCS on cognitive deficits, balance, and overall attenuation of symptoms on people with SRPCS. Cognitive deficits will be assessed with the N-back Working Memory test, list sorting test, and dimensional change card test. Balance deficits will be assessed with the Berg Balance Scale and Standing Balance Test (SBT), and symptoms will be assessed via the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire (RPQ). The cognitive and balance tasks are taken from the NIH motor toolbox and have been shown to be the most important for health and success in school and work, and the RPQ is one of the most widely used SRPCS evaluation tools. The central hypothesis is that tDCS will provide improvements in cognitive deficits, balance, and overall symptom attenuation in people with SRPCS both acutely and at 2 and 4 week follow ups. The researchers further hypothesize that cerebellar tDCS will ameliorate the symptoms of people with SRPCS. The rationale is that the results will improve the quality of life of these patients and may prevent impairment of cognitive function later in life.

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.
31

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Iowa
      • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52240
        • Thorsten of Rudroff

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 to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Sign Informed Consent Document
  2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study Male or female, aged 18-30.
  3. Diagnosed with a concussion by a doctor greater than or equal to 1 month ago.
  4. Concussion occurring during a sport/recreational activity

  5. Meet the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for Post Concussion Syndrome:

    1. history of a traumatic brain injury at least a month in the past
    2. 3 or more of the following symptoms: headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, concentration, memory difficulty
  6. Rivermead Post Concussion Questionnaire score of at least 21 at baseline.
  7. Comprehension of the protocol, as indicated by an ability to respond to questions about the study after reading the consent form.
  8. Healthy enough to complete the protocol based, on information obtained from a clinical exam and past medical history.
  9. Able to use and be contacted by telephone
  10. Able to speak, read, and understand English, and complete questionnaires in English.

Healthy Controls

  1. No history of mild traumatic brain injury or diagnosed concussion within the last year.
  2. Not suffering from any PCS symptoms related to a brain injury
  3. No History of a psychiatric condition (other than mild to moderate anxiety or depression)
  4. Currently on no prescribed psychoactive medications
  5. Comprehension of the protocol, as indicated by an ability to respond to questions about the study after reading the consent form.
  6. Healthy enough to complete the protocol based, on information obtained from a clinical exam and past medical history.
  7. Able to use and be contacted by telephone
  8. Able to speak, read, and understand English, and complete questionnaires in English

Exclusion Criteria:

- 1. History/presence of secondary conditions such as seizure disorders (or on medications known to lower seizure threshold), hydrocephalus, diabetes mellitus, or claustrophobia 2. Currently diagnosed drug and/or alcohol addiction 3. Active Psychosis 4. History of a psychiatric condition (other than mild to moderate anxiety or depression) 5. Currently on no prescribed psychoactive medications 6. Not in any kind of memory improvement program or therapy during study participation.

7. Pregnancy 8. No known fissures or holes in the skull 9. No metallic objects or implanted devices in the skull

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: 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.
Active Comparator: Active Group
This group will receive the active form of tDCS. The tDCS will be administered with the anode over the right lobule of the cerebellum, and the cathode over the left lobule of the cerebellum. Stimulation will be administered for a twenty minute period that does not include the 30 second ramp up at the beginning and end of the stimulation.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation. It uses small electrodes to deliver small amounts of current to specific areas of the brain to either increase or decrease excitability.
Other Names:
  • tDCS
Sham Comparator: Sham Group
This group will receive the sham form of tDCS. The electrodes will be placed in the same montage as in the Active group, however the stimulation parameters are different. For this group, the stimulation will be ramped up to the target intensity over thirty seconds at the beginning, then immediately ramp down over thirty seconds. The stimulation will then remain off for the next twenty minutes. After twenty minutes the stimulation will ramp up to the target intensity and then back down over thirty seconds.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation. It uses small electrodes to deliver small amounts of current to specific areas of the brain to either increase or decrease excitability.
Other Names:
  • tDCS
No Intervention: Healthy Controls
These will be age and sex-matched healthy controls who only come in for the baseline visit in order to provide comparative values with which to confirm adequate impairment in our diseased population.

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
Berg Balance Scale
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Balance Assessment. This is a 14 item test with scores from 0 to 4, with 4 being no inhibition at all. The max score on this test is 56, higher scores indicating better balance.
2 weeks
Standing Balance Test
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Balance Assessment. Outcomes of this test are overall postural sway translated into a normalized t-score.
2 weeks
Flanker Inhibitory Control Test
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Assessment of Cognition/
2 weeks
Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Assessment of Cognition
2 weeks
List Sorting Working Memory Test
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Assessment of Cognition
2 weeks

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
Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test
Time Frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Assessment of Cognition
2 and 4 week follow ups
Berg Balance Scale
Time Frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Balance Assessment. This is a 14 item test with scores from 0 to 4, with 4 being no inhibition at all. The max score on this test is 56, higher scores indicating better balance.
2 and 4 week follow ups
Standing Balance Scale
Time Frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Balance Assessment. Outcomes of this test are overall postural sway translated into a normalized t-score.
2 and 4 week follow ups
Flanker Inhibitory Control Test
Time Frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Assessment of Cognition
2 and 4 week follow ups
List Sorting Working Memory Test
Time Frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Assessment of Cognition
2 and 4 week follow ups

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.
University of Iowa

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, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2027

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 15, 2021

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 15, 2021

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 18, 2021

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.
March 25, 2025

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 18, 2025

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.
February 1, 2025

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.
  • 202011163

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

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Clinical Trials on Post-Concussion Syndrome

Clinical Trials on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings