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Could gentle electrical pulses steady shaky hands?
NCT ID NCT06428526
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
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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
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can MRI reveal the Brain's response to deep brain stimulation?