An interventional study of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Post-Concussion Syndrome, sponsored by University of Iowa. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 30 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-21.
Sponsored by University of Iowa · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study is investigating the immediate and long-term effects of bilateral cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on cognition, balance, and symptom severity in people with sports-related post-concussion syndrome. The central hypothesis is that tDCS will provide improvements in cognitive deficits, balance, and overall symptom attenuation in people with SRPCS both acutely and at 2 and 4 week follow ups. The researchers further hypothesize that cerebellar tDCS will ameliorate the symptoms of people with SRPCS.
The long term goal is to develop an effective and broadly applicable treatment modality for athletes who develop SPRCS. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of multiple (5 consecutive daily) sessions of 2 milliampere (mA) right cerebellar tDCS on cognitive deficits, balance, and overall attenuation of symptoms on people with SRPCS. Cognitive deficits will be assessed with the N-back Working Memory test, list sorting test, and dimensional change card test. Balance deficits will be assessed with the Berg Balance Scale and Standing Balance Test (SBT), and symptoms will be assessed via the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire (RPQ). The cognitive and balance tasks are taken from the NIH motor toolbox and have been shown to be the most important for health and success in school and work, and the RPQ is one of the most widely used SRPCS evaluation tools. The central hypothesis is that tDCS will provide improvements in cognitive deficits, balance, and overall symptom attenuation in people with SRPCS both acutely and at 2 and 4 week follow ups. The researchers further hypothesize that cerebellar tDCS will ameliorate the symptoms of people with SRPCS. The rationale is that the results will improve the quality of life of these patients and may prevent impairment of cognitive function later in life.
132 studies on the registry are indexed under Post-Concussion Syndrome; 33 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 31 is below the median of 52 across 110 interventional studies indexed under Post-Concussion Syndrome.
Browse Post-Concussion Syndrome studies →University of Iowa is the lead sponsor of 276 studies on the registry; 35 are open to participants now.
Of its 44 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 39 (89%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Meet the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for Post Concussion Syndrome:
Healthy Controls
Exclusion Criteria:
This group will receive the active form of tDCS. The tDCS will be administered with the anode over the right lobule of the cerebellum, and the cathode over the left lobule of the cerebellum. Stimulation will be administered for a twenty minute period that does not include the 30 second ramp up at the beginning and end of the stimulation.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
This group will receive the sham form of tDCS. The electrodes will be placed in the same montage as in the Active group, however the stimulation parameters are different. For this group, the stimulation will be ramped up to the target intensity over thirty seconds at the beginning, then immediately ramp down over thirty seconds. The stimulation will then remain off for the next twenty minutes. After twenty minutes the stimulation will ramp up to the target intensity and then back down over thirty seconds.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
These will be age and sex-matched healthy controls who only come in for the baseline visit in order to provide comparative values with which to confirm adequate impairment in our diseased population.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation. It uses small electrodes to deliver small amounts of current to specific areas of the brain to either increase or decrease excitability.
Also known as: tDCS
Berg Balance Scale
Balance Assessment. This is a 14 item test with scores from 0 to 4, with 4 being no inhibition at all. The max score on this test is 56, higher scores indicating better balance.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Standing Balance Test
Balance Assessment. Outcomes of this test are overall postural sway translated into a normalized t-score.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Flanker Inhibitory Control Test
Assessment of Cognition/
Time frame: 2 weeks
Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test
Assessment of Cognition
Time frame: 2 weeks
List Sorting Working Memory Test
Assessment of Cognition
Time frame: 2 weeks
Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test
Assessment of Cognition
Time frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Berg Balance Scale
Balance Assessment. This is a 14 item test with scores from 0 to 4, with 4 being no inhibition at all. The max score on this test is 56, higher scores indicating better balance.
Time frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Standing Balance Scale
Balance Assessment. Outcomes of this test are overall postural sway translated into a normalized t-score.
Time frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Flanker Inhibitory Control Test
Assessment of Cognition
Time frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
List Sorting Working Memory Test
Assessment of Cognition
Time frame: 2 and 4 week follow ups
Plan to share: No
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Feb 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Iowa