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Zapping the brain to restore memory after stroke?
NCT ID NCT05953415
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a personalized brain stimulation technique called iTBS to help people with long-term thinking and memory problems after a stroke. Sixty participants received either real or sham stimulation over three weeks. The goal was to see if this approach could safely improve cognitive function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug treatment to ease cognitive problems after a stroke.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants. The results may not apply to everyone, and the benefits might be modest or temporary.
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
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60 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2023
- Finished
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Feb 2026
- 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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35 to 75 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.
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: * Be meet the diagnostic criteria of "Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: 2019 Update to the 2018 Guidelines for the Early Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke","2018 Chinese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke" for the diagnosis of ischemic stroke, and "2022 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association", "2019 Chinese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acuteintracerebral hemorrhage" for the diagnosis of hemorrhagic stroke and was confirmed by CT or MRI; * meet the PSCI diagnostic criteria of "2021 Experts Consensus on Post-stroke Cognitive lmpairment Management"; * be their first stroke; * have a stroke duration of 3-12 month; * have the stroke located in the unilateral supratentorial region; * be meet at least one of the following conditions: 1) dysfunction in at least one of the five domains: executive function, attention, memory, language ability, and visuospatial ability; 2) mild to moderate cognitive impairment: MMSE ≥ 10, and MoCA \< 26 or MMSE \< 27; * understand the trial and be able to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Have been diagnosed with cognitive impairment resulting from other disorders including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VCI), acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI); * have history of drug or alcohol abuse; * have history of other psychiatric disorders or currently experiencing severe depression or anxiety (HAMD-17 \> 24 or HAMA ≥ 29); * be with severe primary diseases in the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine, or hematopoietic systems that cannot be controlled by conventional medications; * be with malignant hypertension or malignant tumors; * be with severe infections, water and electrolyte imbalances, or acid-base disturbances; * be with severe aphasia (NIHSS\_language ≥ 2 points), dysarthria (NIHSS\_dysarthria ≥ 2 points), impaired consciousness (NIHSS\_level of consciousness ≥ 1 point), audiovisual impairments, or those unable to cooperate with the assessment or treatment; * be with a history of seizures; * be with contraindications to TMS treatment, such as having an implanted electronic device (e.g. cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant); * be with contraindications to MRI, such as the presence of ferromagnetic metallic implants or claustrophobia; * have received neuromodulation therapy such as TMS, transcranial electrical stimulation, or transcranial focused ultrasound within the past 3 months prior to enrollment; * be concurrently participating in other clinical trials; * be pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant; * be with other abnormalities as determined by the investigator that do not meet the trial criteria.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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China Rehabilitation Research Center
Beijing, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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