Placebo power: fake TENS and kind words may ease MS fatigue
NCT ID NCT07624812
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed pilot study looked at whether a placebo treatment — sham TENS combined with positive verbal suggestions — could reduce fatigue in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. 36 participants were enrolled. The main goal was to measure motor performance (number of flexions) and brain activity (Readiness Potential) to see if fatigue could be modulated without real therapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sham TENS therapy combined with positive verbal suggestions
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to help MS patients manage fatigue.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 36 people, testing a placebo effect. Results may not apply to real-world treatment.
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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36 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Finished
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Apr 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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18 to 40 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: i) right-hand dominant; ii) diagnosis of MS, Relapsing-Remitting (RR-) form (Polman et al., 2011); iii) score at the EDSS (Kurtzke, 1983) from 2 to 5.5. Exclusion Criteria: i) relapse occurring over the previous six months; ii) a history of illness not less than one year; iii) first dose of disease-modifying or symptomatic treatments and any medication change in the previous three months; iv) reporting a score of equal to 2 or more at FSS (Kurtzke, 1983) cerebellar and brainstem scales; v) neuroimaging evidence of MS lesions at the spinal cord; vi) any known psychiatric or other neurological disorders, history of head injury, or stroke; vii)a score \< 24 (Lezak et al., 2004) at the Italian version (Magni et al., 1995) at the MMSE (Folstein et al., 1975).
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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
-
Ospedale San Giuseppe
Piancavallo, Verbanio-Cusio-Ossola, 28824, Italy
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