Zapping the brain to restore hand movement after stroke
NCT ID NCT07605039
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical current applied to the brain (tDCS) combined with hand exercises can improve hand function in people who had a stroke. Fifty-six participants will receive either real or sham tDCS for 20 sessions over four weeks. Researchers will use MRI scans to see how the brain rewires itself and track hand recovery for six months.
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 improve hand movement after a stroke.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 56 people. The sham group may show similar improvement, and results may not apply to all stroke survivors.
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 56 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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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30 to 75 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: 1. Diagnosed with stroke according to the "Diagnostic Criteria for Major Cerebrovascular Diseases in China, 2019", confirmed by cranial CT or MRI. 2. First-ever unilateral subcortical stroke (involving the corona radiata, basal ganglia, thalamus, internal capsule, etc.). 3. Age 30-75 years. 4. Right-handed prior to stroke onset. 5. Stroke onset ≥ 2 weeks. 6. Hemiplegic hand function at Brunnstrom Stage I-III. 7. Written informed consent provided by the patient or legally authorized representative. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any contraindications to MRI. 2. History of other neurological disorders or substance abuse. 3. Unstable conditions or rapidly progressive/malignant diseases, e.g., severe atrial fibrillation. 4. Severe skin allergies. 5. Inability to cooperate with basic communication or assessments, such as severe aphasia.
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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 official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Moving patterns may help stroke survivors read faster
- Vibrating wearables put stroke walking to the test
- Robot plus electrical stimulation aims to rebuild arm movement after stroke
- Can a checklist and heart monitor stop repeat strokes?
- Heart hole or stroke trigger? global registry tracks who gets closure and what happens next