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Can gentle electrical pulses reawaken hand movement after stroke?

NCT ID NCT03148106

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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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
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 Results may not be published yet.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 This study
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
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests different settings of a gentle electrical stimulation device, placed on the skin of the affected arm, to see which ones best improve hand function in people who have had a stroke. Participants will receive varying durations and strengths of stimulation, and researchers will measure changes in finger movement and muscle tone. The goal is to identify the most effective short-term settings, which could later inform a long-term training program for home use.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) delivered via adhesive electrodes on the affected arm
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help design a home-based training program to improve hand use and independence for stroke survivors.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study focused on short-term effects, so results may not translate into lasting improvement or apply to all stroke patients.

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

14 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2017

Finished

Dec 2025

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

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: * Age 18-80 years, has residual hand motor dysfunction caused by a single ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke greater than 6 months prior to enrollment. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant; uncontrolled medical problems including but not limited to severe cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary disease; active cancer; significant hand joint deformity or other diagnosis with major effect on hand function besides stroke; severe alcohol or drug abuse within the past year; untreated or inadequately treated major depression; spasticity score \>3 on the MAS; lack of finger range of motion of at least 10 degrees; severe aphasia or other communicative, behavioral or cognitive impairment that significantly interferes with the participant's ability to comply with the protocol or provide informed consent. In addition, patients will be excluded if they have a pacemaker.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Motor Disorders movement disorder Paresis stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Chronic stroke Disability physical Motor disorders Upper extremity paresis

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of California, San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94158, United States

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