Robots and brain scans team up to find stroke Recovery's master switch

NCT ID NCT07822633

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University Hospital of Mont-Godinne Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers want to know whether training one arm after a stroke can improve the other arm, and which brain regions make that possible. The study includes healthy adults, people in the early days after a stroke, and people with long-term stroke effects. Participants play serious games on robotic devices that measure movement speed, accuracy, and force, while MRI scans map brain structure and damage. By comparing movement abilities with brain images, the team aims to identify the neural pathways that support motor skill learning and recovery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Robotic rehabilitation devices (REAplan robot and Dextrain dexterity tool) used for motor skill training
What this could lead to: If researchers can pinpoint the brain regions that support motor learning after stroke, therapists could target rehabilitation more precisely and possibly help the untrained arm improve too.
What could go wrong: This is an observational mapping study, not a treatment trial, so it will not directly prove that any therapy works. Brain scans and robotic tasks may not capture the full picture of recovery, and findings in this group may not apply to all stroke survivors.

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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 250 people

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

Started

Aug 2026

Expected to finish

Jan 2032

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

40 to 90 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.

ACUTE STROKE PATIENTS: Inclusion Criteria: * First acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke * Between the 2nd and 21st day post-stroke * Age: 40-90 years * Ability to complete the 3 consecutive sessions Exclusion Criteria: * Stroke with multiple brain lesions * Addiction (e.g., alcohol or drugs) * Pregnancy * Major cognitive impairment (e.g., depression, aphasia, dementia) * Inability to perform or understand the required tasks * Uncontrolled health conditions * " classical " contre-indication to MRI (non-MR-compatible pacemaker, pregnancy, non-MR-compatible implanted devices, claustrophobia, etc ...) HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS: Inclusion Criteria: * 40-90 years * availability to complete three consecutive sessions. Exclusion Criteria: * "classical" contre-indication to MRI (non-MR-compatible pacemaker, pregnancy, non-MR-compatible implanted devices, claustrophobia, etc ...) * medical history with a previous stroke/relevant neurological deficit or disease * drug/alcohol abuse * psychiatric condition/dementia * having already used the robotic devices CHRONIC STROKE PATIENTS: Inclusion Criteria: * single stroke confirmed by brain imaging * time since stroke onset \>6 months * age between 40-90 years * availability to complete three consecutive sessions. Exclusion Criteria: * Stroke with multiple brain lesions * Addiction (e.g., alcohol or drugs) * Pregnancy * Major cognitive impairment (e.g., depression, aphasia, dementia) * Inability to perform or understand the required tasks * Uncontrolled health conditions * having already used the robotic devices

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Chronic stroke patients Healthy individuals (controls) Stroke (subacute) Stroke, acute

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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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.

Robots and brain scans team up to find stroke Recovery's master switch

What the study statuses mean