Brain scans could unlock better movement for kids with cerebral palsy
NCT ID NCT01829724
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 12 times
Summary
This study uses safe brain imaging techniques (NIRS and EEG) to see how the brain controls movement in people with and without cerebral palsy. Researchers will compare brain activity patterns and test whether biofeedback training can help people with cerebral palsy improve their motor skills. The goal is to learn more about how the brain adapts after injury and find new ways to train movement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could point toward new biofeedback training methods to help people with cerebral palsy move better.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study, not a treatment trial. It may not lead to direct clinical benefits, and results may not apply to all forms of cerebral palsy.
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.
- Participants
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About 320 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2013
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The childhood-onset brain injury group will consist of up to120 individuals (5 years and above) spanning the three objectives. The childhood-onset peripheral injury group will consist of up to 100 individuals within the same age-range spanning only Objectives 1 and 2. The control groups for each participant cohort will consist of up to 50 individuals spanning Objectives 1 and 2, for a total recruitment of up to 100 healthy volunteers within the same age range.
- Ages
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5 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.
* INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 5 years and older * Surgery free for six months in either the upper or lower extremities. * Free from botulinum toxin injections within four months in either the upper or lower extremities. * Either a healthy volunteer or have a diagnosis of a childhood-onset (before 13 years of age) brain injury resulting in motor impairment of one arm and one leg on the same side of the body or motor impairment of both legs or have a diagnosis of childhood-onset (before 13 years of age) peripheral injury resulting in sensory or motor impairment of any limb or multiple limbs. * Able to understand and follow simple directions that include how to perform a repetitive task and when to start and stop doing the task, based on parent report if the subject is a child and physician observation during history and physical examination. * Able to walk at least 20 feet without stopping with or without a walking aid * Able to provide informed consent (Guardian or parent of child participants) or verbal/written assent as appropriate (for child participant). * Agreement to not drink caffeine or alcohol for 24 hours before each assessment session because both agents can modify brain activity and may confound outcome measures. This restriction does not apply to the training sessions in Objective 3. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * Any neurological, musculoskeletal or cardiorespiratory injury, health condition, or diagnosis other than childhood-onset brain or peripheral injury that would affect the ability to mentally concentrate or move a body part repetitively for short periods of time. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, congestive heart failure, end stage cardiac disease, or fractures that have not completely healed. * Uncontrolled seizures. * Concurrent use of medicines for muscle tone (e.g., baclofen, trihexyphenedyl, dantrolene sodium, tizanidine, or carbidopa/levodopa). If patients are taking these medications daily, the treating physician will be contacted by the MAI to determine if it is acceptable for the subject to temporarily discontinue the medication(s) for 24 hours prior to participating in testing for this study for each of the first 2 objectives. If that is not deemed to be safe, the subject will be excluded. Subjects who are on these medications will not be allowed to participate in Objective 3. * Pregnancy: Childbearing potential will be determined during the history and physical exam and urine pregnancy test may be required * Adult who can t consent for themselves. To participate in Objective 1, it is preferable that all subjects be willing and able to have, or have previously had, a structural MRI to aid in the interpretation of results. Inability or refusal to complete an MRI, or to provide access to a previous structural MRI scan, will not constitute an exclusion criterion for this study. Additional exclusion criteria for MRI * Inability to lie flat on the back for up to 45 minutes without sedation. * Discomfort being in small spaces for up to 45 minutes. * Cardiac pacemakers, implanted medication pumps, intracardiac lines, or acute, unstable cardiac disease, with intracranial implants (e.g. aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or any other metal object within or near the head, excluding the mouth that cannot be safely removed. Additional exclusion criteria for EEG -History of allergic reaction to water-based electrode gel
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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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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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