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Brain zap tuning: could different electrical frequencies protect hand function during tumor surgery?
NCT ID NCT05023434
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study involves 20 people undergoing awake brain surgery for tumors near the hand movement area. Surgeons will test different electrical stimulation frequencies (10 to 250 Hz) to see which ones best identify or even improve hand movement. The goal is to develop a more precise way to map the brain during surgery, potentially reducing the risk of permanent hand weakness.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Intraoperative direct electrical stimulation with varied parameters
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help surgeons better map hand movement areas during brain surgery, potentially reducing the risk of permanent hand weakness after tumor removal.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study (20 people) focused on measurement methods, not treatment. It may not lead to any change in patient outcomes or surgical practice.
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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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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18 to 75 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.
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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.
AWAKE CRANIOTOMY COHORT Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 - 75 2. Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it 3. Radiographic evidence of tumor on MRI (i.e. non-enhancing) invading primary motor cortex in the non-dominant hemisphere. 4. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥ 70 5. Normal or near normal motor strength (i.e., at least 3/5 in relevant areas) 6. Normal or near normal speech (Can consistently name at least 4/5 cards) 7. Free of other illness, in the judgment of the investigator, that may shorten life expectancy 8. Willing and able to participate in all aspects of the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of other malignancy not in remission 2. Evidence of bi-hemispheric or widespread tumor involvement 3. Medically high-risk surgical candidate 4. History of recent scalp or systemic infection 5. Presence of other implants or foreign bodies in the head 6. Inability to receive an MRI for any reason 7. Inability to receive cortical stimulation for any reason 8. Presence of implanted cardiac device (such as a pacemaker or defibrillator)
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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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Medical College of Wisconsin
RECRUITINGMilwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
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