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Investigating the Feasibility of Combining Virtual Reality and Bilateral Transcranial Direct Stimulation to Improve Upper Limb Recovery in Patients With Stroke

NCT07288385 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 100

Last updated 2025-12-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Following a stroke, the function of the distal upper limb, especially hand and finger movements, is often severely compromised, significantly restricting the ability to carry out daily activities. It is estimated that 55-75% of stroke survivors suffer from motor dysfunction, with upper limb impairments affecting up to 85% of them (Tang et al., 2024). Current rehabilitation approaches, while beneficial, often produce limited gains in hand function, particularly in patients with chronic stroke. Virtual reality (VR) training has emerged as a promising tool in neurorehabilitation, providing repetitive, task-specific, and engaging practice environments that can promote motor learning (Cameirão et al., 2012). tDCS has also shown potential to enhance motor recovery when combined with motor practice (Kang et al., 2016). To date, no studies have directly compared the effectiveness of Bi-tDCS with VR for improving upper limb function after stroke.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation combined with virtual reality

20 minutes of tDCS during 45 minutes of VR games. bi-tDCS will be used during the sessions. The anodal tDCS (2 mA) will be applied for 20 minutes. Continuous, direct currents. The anodal electrode will be positioned over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) of the affected hemisphere and the cathodal electrode over the contralesional hemisphere.

OTHER

Sham Comparator

45 minutes of VR games with sham tDCS. This provides the participants with the experience of the initial itchy sensation that occurs during tDCS, which is required for efficient masking.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • King Saud Medical City

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • King Fahad Medical City

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • King Saud University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-12-28
Primary Completion
2026-12-30
Completion
2027-01-30

Countries

  • Saudi Arabia

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

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 NCT07288385 on ClinicalTrials.gov