Mirror Therapy Integrated With Electrical Stimulation for Cortical Modulations

March 19, 2026 updated by: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Comparison of the Effects of Mirror Therapy Integrated With Electrical Stimulation and Motor Imagery on Cortical Modulations in Patients With Peripheral Nerve Injury and Healthy Adults

Peripheral nerve injury is common and can result in loss of sensation and motor function, reduced quality of life, and prolonged time to return to work. Maladaptive cortical reorganization occurs after nerve injury or immobilization and can further impair the recovery process. To improve the sensorimotor prognosis of people with peripheral nerve injury, methods such as mirror therapy, motor imagery, and electrical stimulation have been used in addition to usual care. However, no studies have shown the effect of integrating mirror therapy, motor imagery, and electrical stimulation in these individuals. Furthermore, the real-time effect of mirror therapy on cortical activation in this population remains unexplored. This study aims to determine the real-time cortical modulation effects of mirror therapy combined with electrical stimulation in individuals with peripheral nerve injury.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Two groups of subjects (a group of peripheral nerve injury group and a group of healthy adults) will perform hand exercises in three randomized conditions: (1) mirror therapy with electrical stimulation and motor imagery, (2) electrical stimulation and motor imagery, and (3) motor imagery. Each participant performs specific sets of two exercises based on the type of nerve injury: (1) Median nerve injury: Picking up and putting down a pen using the thumb and index finger, and picking up and putting down a marble using the thumb and little finger. (2) Ulnar nerve injury: Picking up and putting down a card using the thumb and index finger, and picking up and putting down a marble using the thumb and little finger.(3) Brachial plexus injury: Picking up and putting down an empty cup, and picking up and putting down a pair of pliers. For combined median nerve and ulnar nerve injuries and healthy adult groups, movements corresponding to median nerve injuries are performed. Each experimental condition consists of 20 repetitions, lasting 60 seconds, followed by a 30-second rest between conditions. Relative alpha and beta band power in the sensorimotor cortex will be recorded and analyzed.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • 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
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
        • National Taiwain Univeristy, Colledge of Medicine, School and Graduate Institude of Physicl Therapy
      • Taoyuan District, Taiwan
        • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • newly diagnosed median or ulnar nerve transection injury of the forearm in the past 6 months
  • sufficient communication in the Chinese language
  • being able to follow instructions
  • muscle atrophy or lack of voluntary contraction over the injured hand, with maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) recorded with surface electromyography (EMG) less than 10% compared to the non-affected hand
  • achieve an average score of 2 or above in the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-10 (KVIQ-10) for kinesthetic imagery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • had central nervous disease
  • had a recent (1 year) history of nerve entrapment syndrome
  • had a history of latent neuropathy, such as diabetes or dialysis

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group
Individuals with peripheral nerve injuries
Behavioral: Mirror therapy
60 seconds of intervention
Device: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
60 seconds of intervention
Behavioral: Motor imagery
60 seconds of intervention
Active Comparator: Control group
Healthy individuals
Behavioral: Mirror therapy
60 seconds of intervention
Device: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
60 seconds of intervention
Behavioral: Motor imagery
60 seconds of intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Relative alpha-band power in sensorimotor cortex
Time Frame: 10 minutes after the intervention
Expressed as a percentage
10 minutes after the intervention
Relative beta-band power in sensorimotor cortex
Time Frame: 10 minutes after the intervention
Expressed as a percentage
10 minutes after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Collaborators

National Taiwan University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yueh-Hsia Chen, PhD, National Taiwan University, School of Medicine

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)

March 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 21, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 3, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 8, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

January 18, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 19, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 202301500A3

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

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.

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