The Effect of tDCS Combined With TMS on Cognitive Impairment and Motor Function After Stroke

May 6, 2026 updated by: Ke Dong, MD

The Effect of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Combined With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cognitive Impairment and Motor Function After Stroke

This clinical trial aims to investigate whether transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS) combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) has an impact on the cognitive and motor functions of stroke patients, and to evaluate the safety of this protocol. The main objective is to answer the following question: Can electromagnetic combined stimulation of the left Dorsolateral prefrontal lobe(DLPFC) improve the performance of working memory, motor function and cognitively motor dual tasks in stroke patients? What is its mechanism of action? Participants will undergo a combined real or sham electromagnetic stimulation of 20 minutes of tDCS and 40 seconds of TMS once a day for 7 days. Researchers will compare the effects of real stimulation with sham stimulation to see if the real stimulation can bring better results to patients. Clinical evaluations (cognitive and motor scales) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy(fNIRS) were conducted before and after stimulation to record relevant brain activities

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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 (Estimated)

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 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

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
        • Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meeting the diagnostic criteria for hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke in the Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases(2nd edition), with the first onset, single hemisphere stroke, and confirmed by CT or MRI,course of diease 1-6 months;
  • Age ranging from 30 to 80 years old;
  • Native language is Mandarin or Cantonese;
  • Right-handed;
  • Diagnosed with post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI) by the MoCA scale;
  • Able to cooperate in completing the speech repetition test;
  • Normal hearing.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently receiving non-invasive brain stimulation treatment;
  • Lesions involving the left DLPFC brain regions;
  • History of epilepsy, mental illness,or other neurological or mental disorders;
  • Any contraindications for transcranial electrical stimulation.

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: Triple

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: real tDCS-TMS
Behavioral: occupational therapy
occupational therapy 1 hour a day for 7 days
Other: real tDCS
real 20 minutes of tDCS once a day for 7 days
Other: real TMS
40 seconds of real TMS once a day for 7 days
Sham Comparator: sham tDCS-TMS
Behavioral: occupational therapy
occupational therapy 1 hour a day for 7 days
Other: sham tDCS
sham 20 minutes of tDCS once a day for 7 days
Other: sham TMS
40 seconds of sham TMS once a day for 7 days

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
n-back task accuracy rate
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
n-back task record accuracy rate
Baseline and 7-days
n-back task reaction time
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
n-back task record reaction time
Baseline and 7-days
functional connectivity during n-back task
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
n-back task with fNIRS to record Oxy-Hb concentration
Baseline and 7-days
Verbal fluency test（VFT）accuracy rate
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
VFT task record accuracy rate
Baseline and 7-days
Verbal fluency test（VFT）reaction time
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
VFT task record reaction time
Baseline and 7-days
functional connectivity during Verbal fluency test（VFT）
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
VFT task with fNIRS to record Oxy-Hb concentration
Baseline and 7-days

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
Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
MoCA scale(score 0-30, the higher score means the better function)
Baseline and 7-days
isokinetic muscle strength test
Time Frame: Baseline and 7-days
isokinetic muscle strength test of knee
Baseline and 7-days

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.
Ke Dong, MD

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 (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2026

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.
May 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.
May 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).
April 22, 2026

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.
April 30, 2026

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.
May 7, 2026

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.
May 11, 2026

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.
May 6, 2026

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.
May 1, 2026

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.
  • Nos.82302848a

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

year 2028 data will become available and for 5 years

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

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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