Brain zaps and hand drills: new hope for kids with cerebral palsy?
NCT ID NCT07573865
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether combining AI-assisted brain stimulation (tDCS) with hand-arm training can improve movement in children aged 6-17 with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy. Fifteen participants will receive either real or sham stimulation over 5 sessions. The goal is to see if this safe, non-invasive approach can boost manual dexterity and daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- anodal tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a safe, non-drug way to improve hand and arm function in children with cerebral palsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (15 children) with no control group for comparison. The treatment is short-term and may not produce lasting benefits.
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 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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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6 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Children aged 6-17 years with unilateral spastic CP 2. Wrist extension ≥ 20°, MCP/PIP joints ≥ 10° Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any other neurological disorders 2. An orthopedic condition affecting the participation in UE activities. 3. Unable to understand the command.
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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
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Pakistan Railway Hospital
Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Sensor study asks: how does constraint therapy rewire arm muscles in cerebral palsy?
- Can a moving platform help kids with cerebral palsy steady their steps?
- Two surgeries, one goal: easing crippling muscle tightness in kids
- Can a standardized protocol improve Ankle-Foot orthosis care for children with cerebral palsy?
- Eye-Tracking glasses may reveal how children with cerebral palsy coordinate gaze and hands
- Biofeedback may unlock stronger muscles in children with cerebral palsy