Could deliberate walking errors retrain the brain after stroke?
NCT ID NCT04455334
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a rehabilitation technique called error-augmented walking can improve gait and brain activity in people who have had a stroke. Participants walk on a split-belt treadmill, which makes the two belts move at different speeds to create a deliberate mismatch, forcing the brain to adapt. Researchers compare this approach with standard treadmill walking and conventional physical therapy, measuring changes in walking patterns and brain signals. The study includes both stroke survivors and healthy volunteers to understand how the brain responds to this training.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Error-augmented treadmill training (split-belt treadmill walking) and error-augmented concept combined physical therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more effective rehabilitation strategy to improve walking symmetry and brain function in stroke survivors.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a small number of participants, so results may not apply broadly. The training is demanding and may not produce lasting benefits.
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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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54 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2020
- Finished
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Dec 2022
- 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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20 to 100 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.
The inclusion criteria of stroke participants are 1. first unilateral stroke 2. older than 20 years old 3. medically stable 4. lesion site limited in subcortical area 5. having step length asymmetry (asymmetry ratio ≥ 1.08) 6. ability to walk 10 meters independently without an assistive device. The inclusion criteria of healthy participants are 1. ability to walk 10 meters independently without an assistive device 2. no any other neurological, psychological, or orthopedic disorders known to interfere the walking performance 3. mini-mental status examination scores \> 24 points The exclusion criteria are 1. Participants who are medical unstable 2. cognitive impaired (mini-mental status examination scores \< 24 points) 3. diagnosed with other neurological, psychological, or orthopedic disorders known to interfere the participation to the study 4. with the diagnosis which the contraindication includes exercise
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Taiwan University Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- The effects of external nasal dilator strips on sleep and cardiovascular health
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- A pharmacokinetic study of NTI164 in healthy adult volunteers
- Pilot study on the effects induced by an electromyographic-controlled functional electrical stimulator (FitFES) for upper limb rehabilitation in post-stroke patients
- Genetic determinants of Exercise-Induced muscle damage (POLYGENDOMUS) / déterminants génétiques des dommages musculaires induits par l'Exercice (POLYGENDOMUS)