Brain zaps may boost motor learning, study hints
NCT ID NCT05947279
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle, non-invasive brain stimulation can improve how people adapt their movements. Sixty healthy right-handed adults aged 18-40 will receive stimulation to specific brain areas while performing reaching tasks. The goal is to understand how the brain controls motor learning, which could eventually help design better physical therapy for people with movement disorders.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- non-invasive neural stimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation or similar)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could point toward better rehabilitation techniques for people with movement problems after stroke or injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It measures short-term changes in movement, not long-term benefits. Results may not apply to real-world therapy.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
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 40 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: * Right-handed as determined by the short-form Edinburgh Handedness Inventory * Between the ages of 18 and 40 Exclusion Criteria: * Mixed- or left-handed as determined by the short-form Edinburgh Handedness Inventory * Self-reported history of any of the following: Seizure and/or diagnosis of epilepsy Fainting spells Concussion with loss of consciousness Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) Cochlear implants Migraines Diagnosed psychological or neurological condition Metal in the scalp * Any previous adverse reaction to a brain stimulation technique * Any previous adverse reaction to 3D virtual reality environments (i.e. 'cybersickness') * Possibility of being currently pregnant (for females only) * Current open head wound or skin condition of the scalp * Current implanted device(s) (i.e. cardiac pacemaker)
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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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Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
RECRUITINGRichmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
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