Could a pain device help rare brain disease sufferers?
NCT ID NCT05653778
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether scrambler therapy, a device that uses mild electrical signals on the skin, can reduce nerve pain in people with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Twenty-five adults with CBS and moderate-to-severe pain will be randomly assigned to receive either scrambler therapy or standard TENS treatment. The main goal is to see if pain scores drop by at least one-third after one month, which would support larger future trials.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Scrambler therapy (device) and TENS (device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to manage nerve pain in corticobasal syndrome.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (25 people) with no blinding, so results may not be reliable or apply to others. Pain relief may be temporary or no better than TENS.
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 25 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Feb 2027
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
-
50 to 89 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * men and women, ≥50 years of age or older with CBS with an average daily pain rating of \> 4 out of 10, using the following question from the Brief Pain Inventory: "Please rate your pain by circling the one number that best describes your (abdominal) pain/discomfort on average over the past week. (Scale 0-10; 0= No pain, 10= Pain as bad as you can imagine) * English speakers or English proficiency * They must have a life expectancy \> 90 days per their treating neurologist. * The patient must be able to understand the study regimen, its requirements, risks, and discomforts, and is able and willing to sign an informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women, nursing women, women of childbearing potential or their sexual partners who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, birth control pills, injections, intrauterine device, surgical sterilization, subcutaneous implants, abstinence, etc.). Other exclusions include the following: * Use of an investigational agent for pain control concurrently or within the past 30 days, * History of an allergic reaction or previous intolerance to transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation; * Patients with implantable drug delivery systems, e.g. Medtronic Synchromed, baclofen pumps. * Patients with heart stents or metal implants such as pacemakers, automatic defibrillators, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, vena cava clips and skull plates. (Metal implants for orthopedic repair, e.g. pins, clips, plates, cages, joint replacements are allowed). * Medical exclusions include: patients with a history of myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease within the past six months; patients with history of epilepsy, brain damage, or symptomatic brain metastases; skin conditions such as open sores that would prevent proper application of the electrodes; or other medical or other condition(s) that in the opinion of the investigators might compromise the objectives of the study.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Corticobasal degeneration are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a massive data registry crack the code of Parkinson's and related brain diseases?
- AI hunts for early clues to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's progression
- Can 30,000 patients reveal Parkinson's hidden patterns?
- Could a brain disease change behavior years before diagnosis?
- High-Resolution brain scans aim to unmask Tau's role in Parkinson's
- PET scans reveal hidden brain inflammation in rare movement disorder