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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Treat Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

NCT00082342 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 25

Last updated 2012-12-27

Study results available
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Summary

This study will examine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on gait (walking) problems and rigidity in patients with Parkinson's disease. tDCS is a method of brain stimulation that may be able to change the electrical activity of the nerves of the brain, possibly causing Parkinson's disease symptoms to improve.

Patients between 40 and 80 years of age with moderately severe Parkinson's disease whose main symptoms are problems with walking, including freezing, or rigidity, may be eligible for this study. Candidates must be taking Sinemet or another L-DOPA drug and not have too much tremor.

Participants will be assigned to receive either real or sham (placebo) tDCS. Both groups will have eight treatments over 3-1/2 weeks. For the tDCS, electrodes are placed on wet pads on the scalp. An electrical current passes through the electrodes, travels through the scalp and skull, and causes small electrical currents in the cortex-the outer part of the brain. Participants will have a neurological examination, including an evaluation of walking, just before and just after each tDCS session. Patients' motor function will be re-evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months after the last tDCS treatment.

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Conditions

  • Parkinson Disease

Interventions

DEVICE

Phoressor II (IOMED)

sham stimulation

DEVICE

Phoressor II (IOMED)

real tDCS stimulation

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

    lead NIH

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
40 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2003-03-31
Primary Completion
2009-02-28

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00082342 on ClinicalTrials.gov