Zapping the brain to fight Parkinson's fog
NCT ID NCT03025334
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical brain stimulation technique called tDCS can improve cognitive problems in people with Parkinson's disease who have mild memory or thinking issues. About 36 participants will receive the stimulation while their brain activity and cognitive performance are measured. The goal is to see if targeting specific brain areas can restore normal communication between brain regions and boost mental function.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to ease cognitive problems in Parkinson's disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 36 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment is experimental and may not improve thinking or memory.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2017
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
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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40 years and older
- 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: * Patients must meet diagnostic criteria for idiopathic Parkinson's disease, defined as the presence of two or more of the cardinal clinical features of PD in the absence of known causes of parkinsonism such as encephalitis or neuroleptic treatment * Ability to provide written informed consent * defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; DSM-5) * Age \> 40 * fluent in English. * Patients' cognitive statuses will be evaluated by the participating neuropsychiatrist or a trained psychiatry or neurology resident. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with dementia (defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score \< 18) * Atypical parkinsonian features including myoclonus, apraxia, oculomotor abnormalities, ataxia, sensory loss, or pyramidal signs. * Abnormal MRI * metal implants or a cardiac pacemaker * Pregnant or breastfeeding women (female subjects of child bearing potential will be screened for pregnancy before MRI imaging). * severe dyskinesia that may interfere with the quality of the scan (e.g., dyskinesia involving head movement). * severe hypertension. * cardiovascular disease. * Patients with a history of seizure, stroke, moderate to severe head injury, high intracranial pressure, severe headaches, or presence of other neurologic disease that may be associated with an altered seizure threshold; or concurrent medication use, such as tricyclic antidepressants, neuroleptic medications, or other drugs that are known to lower seizure threshold * secondary conditions that may significantly alter electrolyte balance or lower seizure threshold. * Family history of epilepsy.
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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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University of Manitoba
RECRUITINGWinnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0J9, Canada
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