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Brain zaps and imagination: a new way to boost motor learning in seniors?

NCT ID NCT02813291

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether mentally practicing finger movements (motor imagery) combined with a mild electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) could improve learning of a complex finger sequence in both young (20-35) and older (65-80) healthy adults. 64 participants were split into four groups: young with real stimulation, young with sham (fake) stimulation, older with real stimulation, and older with sham. Over three training sessions and a retention test a week later, researchers measured how many correct sequences each person could perform. The goal was to see if the combination of mental practice and brain stimulation boosts motor learning more than mental practice alone, especially in older adults.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to help older adults learn or relearn movements, like after a stroke.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study in healthy people, not patients. The effect may be small or not last long, and brain stimulation can cause mild tingling or discomfort.

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

64 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2017

Finished

Mar 2019

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

20 to 80 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: * Being aged between 20 and 35 years for the young subjects / between 65 and 80 years for the elderly subjects * For elderly subjects: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 24 * Being a male or a female * Being right handed * Taking an effective method of contraception for the women of childbearing age * Having signed the consent form * Being registered with a social security scheme Exclusion Criteria: * Presenting a neurologic, psychiatric or motor trouble * Practicing or having practiced at least 5 hours by week an activity involving a high manual dexterity (e.g. piano) * Showing any contraindication to tDCS: * History of epilepsy * head trauma with loss of consciousness * Implanted material (pacemaker, surgical clips, metal specks in the skull, etc.) * Past neurosurgical intervention * Open sore on the scalp * Consumption of more than three glasses of alcohol daily * Use of drugs * Pregnancy (positive pregnancy test)

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As listed by the trial registrant

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

Aging Motor learning

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hospices Civils de Lyon - Hôpital des Charpennes - 27, rue Gabriel Péri

    Villeurbanne, 69100, France

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