MedTrace Logo

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Dysphagia After Supratentorial Stroke

NCT07212634 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 76

Last updated 2025-10-08

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

It is estimated that 400,000 to 800,000 people worldwide develop neurogenic dysphagia annually. Stroke represents the most common etiology, with approximately 65% of acute stroke patients experiencing pharyngeal swallowing difficulties. Clinical manifestations of dysphagia vary widely in severity and may include residue, reflux, delayed swallowing initiation, aspiration, and cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction. Due to its detrimental effects on nutrition, respiration, and psychosocial well-being, dysphagia significantly impairs patients' quality of life. Furthermore, the inability to swallow safely and efficiently can lead to serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and depression. The traditional swallowing rehabilitation treatment has limited effect in clinical practice, which makes it necessary to search for new effective swallowing methods.

Conventional swallowing rehabilitation often yields limited clinical benefits, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic strategies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and safe neuromodulation technique that has shown promise in the field of neurorehabilitation. Its mechanisms extend beyond immediate cortical modulation and cerebral blood flow changes to include the regulation of synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitters such as glutamate and GABA, and excitability in remote subcortical regions. In recent years, tDCS has been increasingly applied to various neurological disorders, including post-stroke motor impairment, dysphagia, aphasia, depression, addiction, and spinal cord injury-related movement disorders. Currently, tDCS is being explored to elucidate its regulatory effects on cerebellar swallowing control, positioning it as a potential innovative treatment for neurogenic dysphagia.

Conditions

  • Dysphagia After Stroke

Interventions

DEVICE

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Different experimental groups received tDCS stimulation at the following distinct sites: bilateral cerebellar hemispheres, bilateral cortical areas corresponding to the suprahyoid muscles, and combined bilateral cerebellar hemispheres alongside bilateral cortical areas corresponding to the suprahyoid muscles. Stimulation parameters: 2 mA constant current, 20 minutes per session Treatment regimen: 5 sessions per week for 2 consecutive weeks

OTHER

Sham tDCS

The patients in this group will receive sham stimulation applied to the same area for the same duration.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
30 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-12-01
Primary Completion
2027-12-01
Completion
2027-12-31

More Related Trials

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 NCT07212634 on ClinicalTrials.gov