Shock therapy for stroke fatigue? new trial tests brain zaps
NCT ID NCT06149897
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS, combined with health education and aerobic exercise, can help reduce fatigue in people who have had a stroke. 54 participants who had a first stroke within the past 45 days and reported significant fatigue took part. The goal was to see if this approach is feasible and effective for easing post-stroke tiredness.
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 drug-free way to reduce post-stroke fatigue and improve daily life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study with no phase, so results may not be conclusive. The effect of tDCS on fatigue is still uncertain.
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
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54 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Finished
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May 2026
- 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
-
18 to 90 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: * First stroke within 45 (+-7) days of the ischemic or hemorrhagic episode. * Ability to understand and execute simple instructions * Over 18 years. * Fatigue Scale of fatigue severity with a score greater than or equal to 24 Exclusion Criteria: * A score \> 2 on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) before the stroke. * Patients with decompensated cardiorespiratory and/or psychiatric pathology. * Comorbidity causing disproportionate fatigue, such as long-term COVID. * Patients who are cancer survivors or who are undergoing cancer treatment. * Patients with a history of epilepsy or who are taking antiepileptic medication. * Patents with major depression.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Hospital Clínic de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain, 08036, Spain
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