Zapping the brain to beat Post-Stroke fatigue and boost speech
NCT ID NCT07151677
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical current applied to the front of the brain (tDCS) can reduce fatigue and improve language and attention in people who have had a stroke. Sixty participants will receive either real or fake tDCS during 10 sessions of speech therapy. The goal is to see if the real stimulation leads to better outcomes.
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 offer a new way to ease post-stroke fatigue and improve language and attention without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect of tDCS is still uncertain, and some people may not benefit.
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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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2029
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 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: 1. 18 years or older. 2. No diagnosis of neurological disorder (other than stroke). 3. No diagnosis of psychiatric disorder, with the exception of anxiety and/or depression if it is managed through medication and/or behavioral intervention. 4. No seizure within the past 6 months. 5. Not pregnant. 6. Does not currently have cardiac pacemaker 7. In chronic phase of recovery, defined as at least 6 months post-stroke. 8. Not undergoing speech and language therapy targeting auditory comprehension or attention for the duration of the study. 9. No metal implants in the scalp or bone in the pre-frontal area of the head. 10. No unhealed skull fractures. 11. Onset of aphasia related to single, left hemisphere, ischemic stroke. 12. Damaged brain tissue from stroke does not overlap with left hemisphere dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. 13. Mild to moderate aphasia (as measured by WAB-R \*\*or QAB). 14. Self-report of post-stroke fatigue (as measured on SF-CAT) 15. No significant challenges with vision or hearing (with use of corrective aids if needed; eyeglasses, hearing aids). 16. Willing to allow audio-recording of study sessions. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Younger than 18 years old. 2. Diagnosis or history of neurological disorder other than stroke. 3. Diagnosis or history of psychiatric disorder with the exception of anxiety and/or depression if it is managed through medication and/or behavioral intervention. 4. History of seizures within the past 6 months. 5. Pregnant. 6. Currently has cardiac pacemaker 7. \<6 months post-stroke (however, if this is only exclusionary criterion met, participant can be re-evaluated at the 6-month mark if still interested in the study) 8. Currently undergoing speech and language therapy targeting auditory comprehension or attention. 9. Metal implants in the scalp or bone in the pre-frontal area of the head. 10. Currently has an unhealed skull fracture. 11. Onset of aphasia related to etiology other than ischemic left hemisphere stroke. 12. Damaged brain tissue significantly overlaps with left hemisphere dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. 13. No aphasia or severe aphasia (as measured by WAB-R \*\*or QAB). 14. Does not report experience of post-stroke fatigue (as measured on SF-CAT) 15. Significant challenges with vision and/or hearing (even with use of corrective aids). 16. Unwilling to allow audio-recording of study sessions.
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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
2 sites. 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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Syracuse University
RECRUITINGSyracuse, New York, 13244, United States
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University of Michigan
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- After a stroke, does the heart inflame? MRI study probes the link
- Natural capsule tested as Add-On for stroke recovery
- Can a drug infused into brain arteries protect stroke patients during clot removal?
- Can a Clot-Busting drug help stroke patients treated later?
- Can computer training rewire the brain to restore sight after stroke?