Brain-computer Interface (BCI)-Guided Upper Limb Neurorehabilitation for Acute Stroke With the recoveriX System

October 4, 2026 updated by: Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Stroke is a leading cause of neurological disability and upper limb impairment. While conventional rehabilitation options exist, brain-computer interface (BCI)-based neurorehabilitation has emerged as a promising approach that records and decodes neural signals to drive rehabilitation devices or functional electrical stimulation. By re-coupling cortical motor intent to limb movement, BCI systems restore closed-loop neurofeedback and facilitate neuroplasticity through residual neural pathways. Motor intent is detected non-invasively via scalp electroencephalography (EEG), using characteristic changes in mu and beta rhythm activity known as event-related desynchronisation (ERD). This study aims to investigate how these electrophysiological signals change over time following stroke and their implications for BCI-based rehabilitation.

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.

Detailed Description

Stroke is a leading cause of neurological disability, resulting in significant upper limb impairment. Current rehabilitation approaches include conventional occupational therapy, constraint-induced movement therapy, and robot-assisted therapy. Brain-computer interface (BCI)-based neurorehabilitation has emerged as a promising addition, whereby neural signals are recorded, decoded to determine motor intent, and used to drive external devices or functional electrical stimulation of the patient's own muscles.

A key mechanism underlying BCI-based rehabilitation is the restoration of closed-loop neurofeedback. Conventional rehabilitation lacks a direct link between a patient's volitional intent and limb movement. BCI systems address this by re-coupling cortical motor signals to end-effector activity, bypassing lesioned neural pathways and facilitating Hebbian neuroplasticity. Sensory feedback from limb movement further reinforces this closed loop, promoting recovery of motor function through residual and alternative neural pathways.

Motor intent is measured non-invasively using scalp electroencephalography (EEG), which captures oscillatory brain activity - particularly the mu (8-13 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) rhythms - that correlate with motor preparation and execution. During movement intent, characteristic reductions in these rhythms, known as event-related desynchronisation (ERD), can be detected algorithmically and used to control rehabilitation devices. Following stroke, these electrophysiological signals are known to be altered, though how they evolve over time remains an open question that this study aims to address.

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.
12

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.

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

21 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults between age 21 to 80 years with hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke
  • Stroke onset within 2-12 weeks
  • Any demonstrated voluntary finger flexion or finger extension Oxford Medical Research Council (MRC) grade 0 to 4 (total 5)
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) > 20
  • Ability to understand written and spoken instructions, as well as stable medical and neurological status.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of previous diagnosis of stroke
  • Implanted pacemaker or continuous infusion pump
  • History of seizures or past history of epilepsy
  • Recent neurosurgery
  • Medical instability deemed by study team
  • Severe blindness
  • Anticipated life expectancy <6 months
  • Hemodialysis
  • Inability to obey 1-step commands
  • Severe aphasia, or dysarthria
  • Severe arm/hand pain (Visual Analog Scale >4/10) or severe hemi anesthesia or spasticity in the paretic arm (modified Ashworth scale MAS >2, total 4)
  • Fixed shoulder or finger joint contractures, active arthritis in any upper limb joint
  • Inability to tolerate upright supported sitting posture for at least 45 minutes
  • Disorders of consciousness or altered arousal states precluding active participation in the task.
  • Pregnant women will be excluded from the study as the safety of FES (electrical stimulations) on foetus is unclear.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: BCI-Based Neurorehabilitation with Functional Electrical Stimulation (recoveriX)
Device: BCI-Based Neurorehabilitation with Functional Electrical Stimulation (recoveriX)

Participants will undergo BCI-based neurorehabilitation using the FDA-approved recoveriX system, comprising a wet-electrode EEG cap, EEG signal processing software, and a functional electrical stimulator (FES). Treatment consists of up to 12 sessions over 3 to 4 weeks (2-3 sessions/week), supervised by a trained study team member, alongside usual inpatient rehabilitation.

Each session involves motor imagery (MI) of finger extension across 3 blocks of 80 trials (240 total). Each trial begins with a 2-second baseline, followed by an auditory and visual cue to imagine finger extension for 5 seconds. If MI is detected (assessed every 200 ms), FES is delivered to the finger extensors (50 Hz, 300 µs pulse width), titrated to produce movement without pain. Real-time feedback is provided, and a session report is generated for review. Within 2 hours of each session, participants undergo 45 minutes of conventional standard-of-care occupational therapy.

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
Functional Independence Measure (FIM)
Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

An 18-item clinical assessment tool used to measure a patient's level of disability and determine how much assistance they require to perform basic activities of daily living. Minimum score: 18 (Patient requires total assistance for all 18 tasks), maximum score: Maximum score: 126 (Patient is completely independent in all 18 tasks), with higher score indicating better function.
Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)
Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA) scale
Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

Change in Fugl Meyer Motor Assessment score in the affected arm, minimum: 0, maximum: 66 with higher scores indicating greater levels of mobility function
Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) Score
Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

Functional and dexterity score in the affected arm evaluated using 19 tests of motor function across 4 subsets; minimum score = 0, maximum score = 57, with higher score indicating better function.
Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)
Stroke Impact Scale v3.0
Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

A patient-reported questionnaire used to evaluate how a stroke impacts health and quality of life. Patients rate how difficult tasks are on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = "could not do it at all" to 5 = "not difficult at all"). Scores for each domain are then standardized to range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better functioning and a higher quality of life. An additional visual scale asks patients to estimate their overall stroke recovery from 0 (no recovery) to 100 (full recovery).
Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)
EQ-5D-5L
Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

EQ-5D-5L is a standardized, patient-reported questionnaire used globally to evaluate health-related quality of life. It measures 5 dimensions of health: Mobility, Self-Care, Usual Activities, Pain/Discomfort, and Anxiety/Depression. Each area features 5 severity levels, from "no problems" to "extreme problems".
Weeks 0 (baseline), 3-4 (end training), 12, and 24 (follow-up)

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.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital

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 Neuroscience Institute

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: Yu Tung Lo, National Neuroscience Institute

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.
October 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.
December 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.
December 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).
September 29, 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.
September 29, 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.
October 5, 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.
October 7, 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.
October 4, 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.
June 1, 2026

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.
  • ECOS ref: 2024-3186

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.

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