Association Between Brain Stimulations for the Rehabilitation of Chronic Stroke Patients

Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Device: TMS; Device: tDCS; Device: tDCS + TMS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02817867

APPG-2016

Details and patient eligibility

About

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a cerebrovascular disease with high incidence and morbidity in the Brazilian population, and is considered a major cause of disability in adults. Brain damage caused by stroke generates a maladaptive pattern of neural activity and modulation between the cerebral hemispheres, unbalancing in the inter-hemispheric inhibition. This condition affects patient's functional recovery.

The aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation Association (rTMS) in the cortex motor contralesional, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in the motor cortex ipsilesional and the association between these two types of brain stimulations on the upper limb recovery after stroke.

Enrollment: 45 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 85 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subcortical stroke diagnosis, which has resulted in hemiparesis for at least 6 months and not more than 5 years (chronic condition);
• Ability to reach 60 degrees in the shoulder flexion
• Ability to completely extend the fingers in the affected upper limb;
• Minimal cognitive ability to understand commands;
• No current use of antiepileptic drugs for seizures.

Exclusion criteria

• Painful shoulder, adhesive capsulitis or glenohumeral subluxation;
• Contraindication (presence of metallic implants) or risks for the Transcranial magnetic stimulation, as evaluated by means of a standard questionnaire;

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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45 participants in 3 patient groups

tDCS

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients who will be treated with Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in the ipsilesional motor cortex.

Treatment:

Device: tDCS

rTMS

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients who will be treated with Magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS) in the contralesional motor cortex.

Treatment:

Device: TMS

tDCS + rTMS

Experimental group

Description:

Patients who will be treated with the association between Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) and magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS), in the ipsilesional and contralesional motor cortex, respectively.

Treatment:

Device: tDCS + TMS