An interventional study of transcranial direct current stimulation and Sham transcranial direct current stimulation in PARKINSON DISEASE (Disorder), sponsored by The University of Texas at Dallas. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 50 Years to 90 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.
Sponsored by The University of Texas at Dallas · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this research study is to examine the effects of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on verbal retrieval and cognition and sensorimotor control and to determine if tDCS can be used as a way to improve retrieval, sensory, and motor abilities in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Objective: Based on models of semantic memory retrieval developed, under which the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA) of the dorsomedial frontal lobes play an important role, the study will examine the treatment of cognitive deficits in PD with HD tDCS applied to the preSMA to improve function in neural circuits supporting verbal retrieval. In addition, as the preSMA is implicated in motor planning and sequencing, the study also will explore whether HD tDCS applied to the preSMA will have an effect on speech and gait.
Specific Aims:
Hypotheses:
4,573 studies on the registry are indexed under Parkinson Disease; 1,086 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 40 across 3,353 interventional studies indexed under Parkinson Disease.
Browse Parkinson Disease studies →The University of Texas at Dallas is the lead sponsor of 60 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.
Of its 17 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 15 (88%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
A potentially study-confounding, tDCS-, or EEG-contraindicated psychological, neuropsychiatric, neurological, or other medical issues:
Use of medications that interact with or potentially interact with tDCS or EEG effects:
Additionally, non-English speakers will be excluded because not all of the screening forms, questionnaires, and tests are available in languages other than English.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds. Other Names: tDCS 1 milliamp tDCS High definition tDCS High definition transcranial direct current stimulator, Neuroelectrics Starstim tES, SN E20200930-10
Device: transcranial direct current stimulation
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.
Device: Sham transcranial direct current stimulation
Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds.
Also known as: transcranial electric stimulation, tDCS, tES
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.
Also known as: sham tDCS, Sham trascranial electric stimulation, sham tES
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment on Category Fluency
valuation of treatment group differences in change on Category Fluency from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Number of Correct Items Generated (minimum=0 words; no maximum)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Category Fluency
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on Category Fluency from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Number of Correct Items Generated (minimum=0 words; no maximum)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: Change from baseline to 2-month Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment on Phonemic Fluency
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on Phonemic Fluency from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Number of Correct Items Generated (minimum=0 words; no maximum)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Phonemic Fluency
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on Phonemic Fluency from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Number of Correct Items Generated (minimum=0 words; no maximum)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: Change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Rate during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking rate from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: syllables per second on a passage reading task (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Rate during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking rate from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Syllables per second during a reading passage (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Rate during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking rate from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Syllables per second during self-generated speech (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Rate during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking rate from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Syllables per second during self-generated speech (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score.
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score (minimum=0; maximum=132)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-month Post-treatment on Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score.
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score from baseline to 2-month post-treatment. Metric: Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score (minimum=0; maximum=132)
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: Change from baseline to 2-month Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Rhythm during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking rhythm from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: coefficient of variation of syllable duration on a passage reading task (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Rhythm during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking rhythm from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Coefficient of variation of syllable duration during a reading passage (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Rhythm during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking rhythm from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Coefficient of variation of syllable duration during self-generated speech (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Rhythm during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking rhythm from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Coefficient of variation of syllable duration during self-generated speech (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Pause Time during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking pause time from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Pause time as percentage of total speaking time on a passage reading task (minimum=0%; maximum=100%).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Pause Time during overt reading
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking pause time from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Pause time as percentage of total speaking time during a reading passage (minimum=0%; maximum=100%).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Speaking Pause Time during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in speaking pause time from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Pause time as percentage of total speaking time during self-generated speech (minimum=0%; maximum=100%).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment on Speaking Pause Time during self-generated speech
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change on speaking pause time from baseline to 2-months post-treatment. Metric: Pause time as percentage of total speaking time during self-generated speech (minimum=0%; maximum=100%).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: change from baseline to 2-months Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 1-week Post-treatment on Freezing of Gate during the timed up and go task
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in freezing of gate from baseline to 1-week post-treatment. Metric: Timed up and go time (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 6 weeks: Change from baseline to 1-week Post-Treatment
Treatment group differences in change from Baseline to 2-month Post-treatment on Freezing of Gate during the timed up and go task
Evaluation of treatment group differences in change in freezing of gate from baseline to 2-month post-treatment. Metric: Timed up and go time (minimum=0; no maximum).
Time frame: Outcome measures will be assessed as change over a period of 13 weeks: Change from baseline to 2-month Post-Treatment
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified individual participant data (IPD) that underlie the results reported in published articles, including baseline demographic and clinical characteristics required to replicate the findings, will be made available.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan
Time frame: Beginning 6 months and ending 36 months following publication.
Access criteria: Access will be provided via email request to the corresponding author or through the designated repository required by the publishing journal.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Sep 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Oct 2027, 13 months after the start.
Of 1,291 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Parkinson Disease, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 44. This study's planned 13 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,367 studies reached it within 25 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 44.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
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The University of Texas at Dallas