Could gentle electrical pulses steady shaky hands?

NCT ID NCT06428526

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused This study
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
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First seen Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study explores whether a type of electrical stimulation, called afferent-specific electrical stimulation (asES), can improve how the brain senses and controls hand movements. Researchers will test it in healthy adults and people with essential tremor, a condition that causes shaking. The stimulation is delivered through the skin or a small needle and aims to sharpen the sense of touch and position, which may lead to steadier, more precise movements.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
afferent-specific peripheral electrical stimulation (asES) delivered via continuous or closed-loop strategies
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could offer a non-invasive way to improve fine motor control and reduce tremor in essential tremor, potentially reducing reliance on medications or surgery.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with only 40 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The effects may be small or temporary, and the stimulation may cause discomfort or not work for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2025

Expected to finish

Jul 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Participants: * Age from 18 to 80 years, inclusive * No history of a brain and/or skull lesion * Normal hearing and (corrected) vision * Able to understand and give informed consent * No neurological disorders * No tremor * Able to understand and speak English Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Participants: * History of significant head trauma (i.e., extended loss of consciousness, neurological damage) * Known structural brain lesion * Prior neurosurgical procedures * Tremors (as determined by study team) * Co-existence of other neurological diseases * Parkinsonism * Medical (e.g., cardiological, renal, hepatic, oncological) or psychiatric disease that would interfere with study procedures * Pathology that could cause abnormal movements of extremities (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, marked arthritis, etc.) * Inability to perform study tasks or assessments (e.g., follow instructions to stay still during asES procedures) or unable/unwilling to complete study forms * Non-prescribed drug use or recreational marijuana use * History of current substance abuse (exception: current nicotine use is allowed) * Pregnancy * Prisoners Inclusion Criteria for ET Patients: * Age from 18 to 80 years, inclusive * No prior history of skull lesions or craniotomy * Normal hearing and (corrected) vision * Able to understand and give informed consent * Diagnosis of ET (Tremor Research investigation Group criteria) by a physician * At least moderate-severe tremor (based on the TETRAS Tremor Rating Scale) in an upper limb with pure flexion-extension wrist tremor during posture * Stable medication doses for at least 30 days prior to study enrollment and during entire study period * Able to understand and speak English Exclusion Criteria for ET Patients: * History of significant head trauma (i.e., extended loss of consciousness, neurological damage) * Known structural brain lesion * Prior neurosurgical procedures * Mixed or complex tremors (as determined by study team) * Co-existence of other neurological diseases * Parkinsonism * Medical (e.g., cardiological, renal, hepatic, oncological) or psychiatric disease that would - interfere with study procedures * Pathology that could cause abnormal movements of extremities (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, marked arthritis, etc.) * Inability to perform the study tasks or assessments (e.g., follow instructions to stay still during asES procedures) or unable/unwilling to complete study forms * Non-prescribed drug use or recreational marijuana use * History of current substance abuse (exception: current nicotine use is allowed) * Pregnancy * Prisoners

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

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