Zap to walk: brain and spine stimulation may boost Parkinson's rehab

NCT ID NCT06868160

Symptom relief Sponsor: IRCCS San Raffaele Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether adding gentle electrical stimulation to the brain and spine can improve walking and balance training for people with Parkinson's disease who have trouble with gait. About 71 participants (51 with Parkinson's and 20 healthy controls) will take part. The Parkinson's group will do special walking exercises while receiving either real or fake stimulation, and researchers will track changes in mobility and brain activity over several months.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: transcranial and trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tDCS/tsDCS)
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could offer a non-drug way to enhance rehabilitation and improve walking and balance in people with Parkinson's disease.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study (71 participants) testing a device, so results may not apply widely. The stimulation is non-invasive and generally safe, but individual responses vary.

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

About 71 people

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

Started

Oct 2025

Expected to finish

Jan 2029

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

45 to 85 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.

Inclusion Criteria: * 45 years \< age ≤ 85 years * Idiopathic PD according to the Movement Disorders Society (MDS) diagnostic criteria * Hoehn \& Yahr (H\&Y) score ≤ 4 * PIGD phenotype * Stable dopaminergic medication for at least 4 weeks and without any changes during the observation period (28 weeks) * No dementia according to Litvan\'s criteria and Mini-Mental Status Examination score (MMSE) ≥ 24 * No significant tremor/involuntary movements that could determine artifacts during the MRI acquisition * Oral and written informed consent to study participation Healthy controls' inclusion criteria: * Sex-matched and age-matched (age range: mean age of PD years ± 15 years) * Oral and written informed consent to study participation Exclusion Criteria: * Any major systemic, psychiatric, neurological, visual, and musculoskeletal disturbances or other causes of walking inability * Medical conditions or substance abuse that could interfere with cognition * Pacemaker or other implanted neurostimulation devices in the head/neck district * (Other) Contraindications to undergoing MRI examination * Brain damage at routine MRI, including extensive cerebrovascular disorders * Denied oral and written informed consent to study participation * Significant scalp traumatic or surgical wounds or scalp alterations that could determine a risk of infection in the site of non-invasive stimulation or the spread of excessive current from the device (only for patients receiving the neurostimulation).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Parkinson disease

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Parkinson disease

How to take part

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

The places running it

1 site. 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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Zap to walk: brain and spine stimulation may boost Parkinson's rehab

What the study statuses mean