Improving Motor Stroke Recovery Using Patient-tailored Non-invasive Brain Stimulation
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Many individuals are often left with problems moving their arm and hand, months to even years after a stroke. Recent progress in research suggests the application of non-invasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), in conjunction with rehabilitation exercises can further improve a person's ability to move after stroke. However, the problem is that this doesn't work for everyone, and researchers do not know why. One reason may be that TDCS is currently applied using a one-size-fits-all approach. Researchers apply the same type of TDCS to everyone, assuming the stroke affects everyone in the same way. But, researchers know this is not the case. For example, each person will likely have different amounts of damage to brain regions that control movements. A better understanding of how the stroke uniquely affects a person's brain will help us to know which is the correct type of TDCS to apply for that person. Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine whether the amount of damage to brain regions that control movements can predict which type of TDCS will be more effective to help a person improve their ability to move. Participants will undergo 1 session of magnetic resonance imaging, and three sessions of TDCS.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Brain Stimulation Patients will receive, Sham TDCS, Anodal TDCS, Cathodal TDCS, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). |
Device: Sham TDCS
Placebo stimulation is applied to the unaffected motor cortex while participants perform rehabilitation exercises for the upper extremity
Device: Anodal TDCS
Excitatory stimulation is applied to the unaffected motor cortex while participants perform rehabilitation exercises for the upper extremity
Device: Cathodal TDCS
Inhibitory stimulation is applied to the unaffected motor cortex while participants perform rehabilitation exercises for the upper extremity
Device: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Participants will receive a MRI of their brain to allow the research investigators to determine how the stroke has affected regions of the brain processing movements.
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Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in movement time (seconds) for reaching after 1 session of TDCS [1 day]
- Change in accuracy of reaching (root mean square error) after 1 session of TDCS [1 day]
- Change in efficiency of reaching (number of velocity peaks) after 1 session of TDCS [1 day]
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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unilateral first time stroke in middle cerebral artery territory
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greater 3 months post-stroke
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able to raise arm onto a table from a seated position
Exclusion Criteria:
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severe cognitive or comprehension deficits that may compromise informed consent or understanding of instructions
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severe apraxia and neglect
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neurodegenerative or psychiatric disease
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contraindications to MRI and TDCS (e.g. metal in head, pacemaker, claustrophobia)
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | M4N 3M5 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Joyce Chen, PhD, Sunnybrook Research Institute
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 143-2015