An interventional study of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN), sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 45 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.
Sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will be to compare the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial alternating current stimulation on neuropathic pain, manual dexterity and isometric muscle strength in diabetic peripheral neuropathic patients. Study design will be randomized clinical trial. Evaluation will be done by using McGill Pain Questionnaire-2, Digital force gauge sf-500 and wooden 9 hole peg board. Non-probability convenient sampling will be used and 38 subjects will be allocated to two groups by random allocation. Group A will receive TDCS and Group B will receive TACS. Both groups will receive hot pack, and ROM exercises of upper extremity before techniques application. Both groups will receive 20 sessions for the period of 4 weeks. Measurements of all the outcome variables will be taken at baseline and 4th week.
1,100 studies on the registry are indexed under Neuralgia; 241 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 46 is below the median of 52 across 831 interventional studies indexed under Neuralgia.
Browse Neuralgia studies →University of Management and Technology Lahore is the lead sponsor of 39 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The criteria were revised on the registry on Nov 3, 2026. See what changed
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:
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.
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
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.
HbA1c
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
MMSE and MoCA
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
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.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) will be applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) hand area corresponding to the C3 position according to the International 10-20 EEG system. The anodal electrode will be positioned over C3, while the cathodal electrode will be placed over the right supraorbital region. Saline-soaked sponge electrodes measuring 5 × 5 cm will be used for stimulation. A direct current of 2 mA will be delivered for 20 minutes per session. The intervention will be administered once daily, five days per week, for a total of 20 sessions over a period of 4 weeks
Other: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) will be applied targeting the frontal cortex and the primary motor cortex (M1). Stimulation will be delivered at an intensity of 2 mA with a frequency of 5 -10 Hz bilaterally. Each treatment session will last 20 minutes. The intervention will be administered daily for five days per week according to the treatment schedule. Standardized electrode placement and stimulation parameters will be maintained throughout the intervention period to ensure consistency across sessions
Other: Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) will be applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) hand area corresponding to the C3 position according to the International 10-20 EEG system. The anodal electrode will be positioned over C3, while the cathodal electrode will be placed over the right supraorbital region. Saline-soaked sponge electrodes measuring 5 × 5 cm will be used for stimulation. A direct current of 2 mA will be delivered for 20 minutes per session. The intervention will be administered once daily, five days per week, for a total of 20 sessions over a period of 4 weeks.
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) will be applied targeting the frontal cortex and the primary motor cortex (M1). Stimulation will be delivered at an intensity of 2 mA with a frequency of 5 -10 Hz bilaterally. Each treatment session will last 20 minutes. The intervention will be administered daily for five days per week according to the treatment schedule. Standardized electrode placement and stimulation parameters will be maintained throughout the intervention period to ensure consistency across sessions.
Pain by McGill Pain Questionnaire-2
The MPQ-2 is a self-report questionnaire designed to evaluate different dimensions of pain, including continuous, intermittent, neuropathic, and affective pain descriptors. The questionnaire consists of 22 pain descriptors, each rated on an 11-point numerical scale ranging from 0 (none) to 10 (worst possible).
Time frame: at baseline and after 4th week
Isometric Muscle Strength by digital force gauge SF-500
It will measure muscle groups such as shoulder flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors, elbow flexors and extensors, wrist flexors and extensors in Kg. Before the test, a standard instruction of "push as hard as you can" will give, and during the test, the patients will be encourage to apply maximal effort. Maximal strength will exerted for 3 to 5 seconds, at which point the examiner instructed the person to relax. Maximal isometric muscle strength will recorded for all measured upper-extremity muscle groups
Time frame: at baseline and after 4th week
Manual Dexterity by Wooden 9 hole peg test
The NHPT consists of a rectangular base and 9 pegs (7 mm in diameter, 32 mm in length). The base is divided into two parts; the container is located where the pegs will be housed in one, while a pegboard composed of 9 holes (10 mm in diameter, 15 mm deep) in which each of the pegs will be inserted is in the other. The pegboard will centered in front of the subject with the container side on the same side as the hand being tested. The dominant hand will tested first. Subjects completed one practice trial followed by the actual timed test for each hand
Time frame: at baseline and after 4th week
Plan to share: Yes — The results data collected , de-identified individual participant data will be shared.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form
Time frame: 6 months after the publication of the manuscript.
Access criteria: The data can be requested from the corresponding author.
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 ↗
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Management and Technology Lahore