Could a gentle brain zap help Parkinson's patients swallow safely?
NCT ID NCT07153692
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a mild electrical brain stimulation technique called tDCS can improve swallowing difficulties in people with Parkinson's disease. 58 participants will receive either real or sham tDCS alongside standard swallowing therapy. Researchers will measure changes in swallowing function and brain activity using video X-rays and brain scans.
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 non-drug way to improve swallowing safety and quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 58 people. The improvement may be modest, and the effects might not last long-term.
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
-
About 58 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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 100 years
- 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 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: * Meet the Chinese Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson's Disease (2016) or MDS Diagnostic Criteria for Multiple System Atrophy or Progressive Supranuclear Palsy; * VFSS examination indicates dysphagia; * Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score \>23; * Willing to cooperate with the study and sign the informed consent form; Exclusion Criteria: * Comorbid with other diseases that cause dysphagia; * Comorbid with pneumonia, or severe cardiac/renal insufficiency; * Having metal implants in the body * With cognitive impairment or inability to cooperate.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Dysphagia are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGHangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a massive data registry crack the code of Parkinson's and related brain diseases?
- Walking memory tests may reveal early Parkinson's clues
- Can art therapy improve life for people with PSP?
- Can an old epilepsy drug shield the brain from PSP?
- Colon tissue may hold clues to telling Parkinson's apart from Look-Alike diseases
- Can early markers predict how atypical Parkinson's diseases progress?