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Shock to the system: brain stimulation may boost stroke rehab

NCT ID NCT03666533

Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether adding a mild electrical brain stimulation called tDCS to physical therapy could improve walking in people who had a stroke. 44 participants who were at least 6 months post-stroke received either real or fake tDCS while doing gait exercises in a virtual reality setting. The goal was to see if the brain boost could lead to faster, safer walking.

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)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost way to boost walking recovery after stroke when added to standard physical therapy.
What could go wrong
This was a small, early-stage study (44 people) with no phase designation, so results may not apply widely. tDCS effects can be subtle and inconsistent.

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

44 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2018

Finished

Mar 2024

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Medically and psychologically stable and at least 6 months after first ever unilateral stroke * Cognition sufficiently intact to give valid informed consent to participate * FMLE score \>15; and ability to actively dorsiflex the paretic ankle in synergy (FMLE item II Flexor synergy-ankle dorsiflexion score 1). * Sufficient endurance to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Activity tolerance is insufficient to complete treadmill training * Inability to produce a trace contraction of ankle dorsiflexors in synergy * Normal ankle dorsiflexion/knee flexion on FMLE standing items (FMLE item IV score=4) * Stroke affecting both sides * Contraindications for rTMS according to the most recent TMS-use guidelines * Contraindications for MRI * Inability to understand English

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Gait impairment Stroke

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44106-1702, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.