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CompletedNCT06463795Updated Mar 24, 2025

tDCS and Lower Limb Performance in Stroke

An interventional study of tDCS and Sham tDCS in Stroke, sponsored by Riphah International University. Completed at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 35 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-24.

Sponsored by Riphah International University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
70
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
35 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Lower limb rehabilitation is especially important, as the simple act of regaining the ability to walk has subsequent effects on the ability to engage in activities of daily living .So, this study will contribute in describing the management of lower limb motor recovery along with the therapeutic intervention (MRP) with tDCS (anodal stimulation). This study aims to address some of the drawbacks observed in previous studies like allocation concealment, small sample size due to drop outs, short term effects of tDCS and experimental designs as well.

Read the detailed description

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) appears to be an intriguing adjuvant for stroke neurorehabilitation, though there are many other methods available. Depending on the polarity used, tDCS alters cortical excitability when electrodes applied over the motor cortex area (M1) to be stimulated, and the cathode above the contralateral eye (Orbital area), tDCS (thus termed anodal) increases cortical excitability. It is easy to use, safe and has minimal side effects like a sensation of itching, post-stimulation headache and sometimes mild nausea may experience. Numerous research indicates that cortical activity rises in conjunction with gait. According to a number of studies, corticospinal neuron activity either parallels or possibly even partially regulates the activity of spinal motor neurons during walking. There exist various techniques for implementing transcranial direct current stimulation in conjunction with multiple supplementary therapies.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stroke

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Keywords

  • Stroke
  • Lower limb
  • transcranial direct current stimulation
03

In context

Stroke

7,286 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,007 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 70 is above the median of 50 across 5,369 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Riphah International University is the lead sponsor of 2,133 studies on the registry; 633 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
35 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Stroke for more than 6 months.
  • National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for severity level (Mild (1-4), Moderate (5-15), Moderate to Severe (16-20), Severe (21-42)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Epilepsy
  • Scalp injury/ skin lesion e.g. psoriasis or eczema etc.
  • Patient with lower limb amputation or any MSK/neurological disorder that limit the LE function
  • Implanted medical devices including intracranial electrodes, surgical clips, shrapnel or a pacemaker
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
70 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    tDCS Group

    Electrode placement: Anodal electrode placed over primary motor cortex area (M1) while the cathode placed over contralateral orbit. Duration of 20 minutes with intensity of 2mA, ramping up and down at 8 seconds. the density of 0.07 C/cm2 for 3 days/week for 8 weeks

    Device: tDCS

  • Sham comparator
    Sham Group

    Electrode placement: Anodal electrode placed over primary motor cortex area (M1) while the cathode placed over contralateral orbit. Duration of 20 minutes with intensity of 0.5mA, ramping up and down at 150 and 30 seconds respectively. There will be brief stimulation period of 3-5% active session duration the density of 0.07 C/cm2 for 3 days/week for 8 weeks

    Device: Sham tDCS

Interventions

  • DevicetDCS

    active anodal tDCS

  • DeviceSham tDCS

    sham anodal tDCS

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. FMA-lower extremity

    FMA-LE is a method used to measure motor function, balance, and function of joints in post-stroke patients. Fugl Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE). FMA-LE is a method used to evaluate the performance of motor movement on the lower limbs (hips, knees, feet, and ankles) and predicts recovery function of motion in stroke patients. FMA-LE method consists of 17 items are organized into several sub-sections, namely reflection part, synergistic part, and coordination with Mild (˃45),Moderate (30-45),Severe (˂30) scores(12). It shows sensitivity of 0.87 and specificity of 0.81

    Time frame: 8 week

  2. Six Minute walk Test

    The Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is a functional walking test in which the distance that a stroke patient can walk within six minutes is evaluated. This test has been used to assess individuals with stroke, head injury and Parkinson's disease. There are no actual items to the 6MWT.It is a simple test that requires a 100-ft, quiet, indoor, flat, straight rectangular hallway. The walking course must be 30m in length. The length of the 30m corridor must be marked by colored tape at every 3m. The turnaround must be marked with a cone. Some studies have used 20 and 50m corridors. It has excellent test-retest reliability (0.99 distance in meters) among stroke survivors

    Time frame: 8 week

Secondary outcomes

  1. Stroke Specific Quality of Life

    The Stroke Specific Quality Of Life scale (SS-QOL) is a patient-centered outcome measure intended to provide an assessment of health-related quality of life specific to patients with stroke. It is a self-report scale containing 49 items in 12 domains including Energy, Mobility, Upper extremity function, Work/productivity, Mood, Self-care, Social roles, Family roles, Vision, Language, Thinking, and Personality. Score ranges from 49 to 245. Higher scores indicate better QOL(14).It has a sensitivity of 70.0% and a specificity of 75.8%

    Time frame: 8 week

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Pakistan Railway General Hospital
    Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Elsner B, Kugler J, Pohl M, Mehrholz J. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving activities of daily living, and physical and cognitive functioning, in people after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 11;11(11):CD009645. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009645.pub4. PubMed 33175411 ↗
  • Clark B, Whitall J, Kwakkel G, Mehrholz J, Ewings S, Burridge J. The effect of time spent in rehabilitation on activity limitation and impairment after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Oct 25;10(10):CD012612. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012612.pub2. PubMed 34695300 ↗
  • Bai X, Guo Z, He L, Ren L, McClure MA, Mu Q. Different Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Upper and Lower Limb Recovery of Stroke Patients with Motor Dysfunction: A Meta-Analysis. Neural Plast. 2019 Nov 16;2019:1372138. doi: 10.1155/2019/1372138. eCollection 2019. PubMed 31827495 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 24, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06463795
Lead sponsor
Riphah International University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 18, 2024
Start date
Jul 1, 2024
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2024
Completion
Jan 31, 2025
Last update
Mar 24, 2025

Study contacts

Mirza Obaid Baig, MSPT
principal investigator · Riphah International University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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