An interventional study of tDCS and Conventional in Stroke, sponsored by Riphah International University. Recruiting at 2 sites in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-24.
Sponsored by Riphah International University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Multiple research has worked on tDCS and its impact on stroke. But none have studied the effects of tDCS on stroke in relation to the different stages of stroke like mild, moderate, moderate to severe and severe stroke as per national institute of health (NIH) scale.
Additionally, this study will be conducted to address the few drawbacks in previous studies such as short follow up period by employing evidence based standardized protocols. It can potentially instigate the efficacy of tDCS on spasticity, motor recovery and Quality of life in relation to the different severity levels of stroke.
Multiple noninvasive brain stimulation is also introduced over the few years regarding their impact on spasticity, tDCS being the most common due to its effects on spasticity. There are multiple structural and functional changes in motor cortex post stroke, tDCS causes improvement in motor control by reorganizing the motor cortex. Anodal and cathodal tDCS are based on the current direction with cathodal decreasing excitability of the cortex area and anodal increasing it. Anodal tDCS is more effective in reducing spasticity as compared to cathodal. The change in cortical excitation alters the reflex arc i.e. altering the neurons and reducing their excitability which causes a decrease in tone and facilitates neuroplasticity.
Spasticity is often found along with weakness in stroke and is one of the reasons for impaired motor function, increased resistance to stretch and is due to increased excitability and abnormal regulation of spindle and reflex arc. With chronicity and reduced motor control spasticity also increases by 97 %. Spasticity and paresis lead to impaired motor control. Spasticity will not change recovery in function in early stages but is going to affect motor recovery in all stages. Spasticity disrupts motor function and the daily tasks which creates different levels of dependence in the patients hence effecting the QOL. Spasticity is found in almost 40% of individuals suffering from stroke. It affects joints and extremities in a way that impedes function and ADLs. Painful, restricted joints resulting from prolonged spasticity badly impacts the QOL leading to high burden on caregivers
704 studies on the registry are indexed under Muscle Spasticity; 149 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 56 is above the median of 36 across 525 interventional studies indexed under Muscle Spasticity.
Browse Muscle Spasticity studies →Riphah International University is the lead sponsor of 2,133 studies on the registry; 633 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Other: tDCS · Other: Conventional
Other: Conventional
Stimulation in each session will be applied for 20 min by two 5 × 4 cm (20 cm2) saline-soaked sponge electrodes at an intensity of 1.5 mA (0.075 mA/cm2). A gradual ramp up and down of stimulation for 10 s at the beginning and the end of stimulation
ROM exercises for upper and lower extremities, Stretching of agonists, Strengthening of antagonists, Core stability exercises, Static and dynamic balance activities, Gait training, Functional training
Modified Ashworth Scale
MAS is a tool to measure hypertonia. It scores the resistance on a 5 point ordinal scale with an increase value indicating hypertonia. Intrarater reliability of MAS was found to be good to excellent for upper (k= 0.71-0.94) and lower extremities(k= 0.55-0.97) while interrater reliability was poor to moderate for upper (k= 0.25-0.66)and lower extremities (k= 0.41-0.54)
Time frame: 8 week
Fugl Meyr Assessment
FMA is used for the assessment of physical performance and sensorimotor function of neurological patients. It uses a 3-point ordinal scale to score individuals' ability to perform a certain task. Total score is 226. It has excellent inter and intrarater reliability. (ICC 0.95)
Time frame: 8 week
SS-QoL
It is used for estimating the quality of life of stroke patients. It contains 49 questions related to different personal and social aspects. Scoring is done on a ordinal scale of 1-5 with an increase score indicating independence. It is a valid and reliable tool to use in stroke population (Cronbach's alpha 0.903)
Time frame: 8 week
Plan to share: No
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Riphah International University