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Corticobasal SyndromePhase 2NCT00273897

Electrical Polarization of the Brain in Corticobasal Syndrome

A Phase 2 study testing Phoresor II in people with Corticobasal Syndrome, run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will test whether DC electrical polarization of the brain can temporarily improve hand function in patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). In this degenerative disorder of the brain, nerve cells die over time, causing a progressive decline in the patient's ability to use their hands. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 40 to 90 years
Conditions the study is for
Corticobasal Syndrome
What is being tested?
Phoresor II
Type of treatment
Medical device
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
30 Dec 2005to 11 Dec 2007
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 40 to 90 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Clinically diagnosed CBS, consisting of progressive asymmetric rigidity and apraxia and additional findings suggesting cortical (e.g., one or more of the following: alien limb phenomenon, apraxia of speech, cortical sensory loss, constructional dyspraxia, hemisensory neglect, myoclonus, mirror movements) and basal ganglionic (e.g., one or more of the following: bradykinesia, dystonia, tremor, postural instability) dysfunction.
  • Patients fitting these criteria will be identified among those referred to protocol 02-N-0001. All must have been evaluated under this protocol.
  • Enough residual hand function on one side to perform the tests.
  • Age greater than or equal to 40: This limit is justified because the diagnosis of CBS would be very uncertain in anyone under this age.

Who cannot join

  • Presence of metal in the cranial cavity or calvarium.
  • Uncontrolled medical problems, such as uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, airway disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, or any other condition that poses a risk for participation.
  • Broken skin in the area of the electrodes.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Direct Current Brain Polarization for Apraxia in Corticobasal Syndrome

This study will test whether DC electrical polarization of the brain can temporarily improve hand function in patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). In this degenerative disorder of the brain, nerve cells die over time, causing a progressive decline in the patient's ability to use their hands. This is always worse on one side. Other symptoms include arm or leg stiffness, tremor, gait unsteadiness, and speech difficulty. Some patients also have some decline in thinking ability, such as loss of skilled activities, poor problem solving abilities poor concentration, problems with language, and forgetfulness,. DC electrical polarization of the brain involves placing sponge electrodes on the head and passing a very weak current between them. DC polarization can temporarily improve the ability of healthy people to make word lists and may improve symptoms in some brain diseases.

Patients 40 and older with CBS who have participated in NINDS protocol 02-N-0001 ("Testing a Model of the Representational Knowledge Stored in the Human Prefrontal Cortex") may be eligible for this study. In protocol 02-N-0001, participants provide a medical history, undergo a neurological examination, PET scanning and MRI, and complete tests, such as sitting in front of a computer monitor and press a key to indicate a decision about what appears on the screen (for example, whether a statement is accurate) and answering questions from a test examiner.

Read more

For the current protocol, participants have three 2-hour testing sessions at the NIH Clinical Center, scheduled at least one day apart. In each session, sponge electrodes are placed on the head so that they affect different areas of the brain. Two areas are involved with hand movement; the third does not. The electrodes are dampened with water and attached to the sides of the patient's head. When the current is turned on, the patient may feel some tingling. The current is on for 40 minutes, but can be reduced or stopped early if the tingling becomes uncomfortable.

Before and during each session, the patients' hand function is tested by having them perform and imitate some actions, insert pegs into holes on a board, and tap their index finger as fast as they can. Part or all of the sessions are videotaped for use in evaluating the effects of DC polarization.

Read the detailed description

Objective: In a recent sham-controlled pilot study, we showed that surface anodal direct current (DC) polarization can improve verbal fluency in frontotemporal dementia patients. Corticobasilar syndrome is a related disorder that presents with disordered limb movement, particularly the loss of stored motor programs, (ideational/ideomotor apraxia) and impaired hand function. Conventional neurorehabilitation is typically unsuccessful in this disorder. We wish to see whether anodal polarization of the inferior parietal cortex (IPC) in CBS patients leads to improved movement and whether the improvement is specifically in the generation of stored movements (praxis). We will also apply polarization to the primary sensorimotor area (SM1), where we expect any effects to be on elemental aspects of movement, such as finger tapping speed. Study population: Twenty CBS patients will be enrolled. Design: This single blind crossover study will have three arms: anodal DC to IPC, anodal DC to SM1, and a control condition: polarization with the electrodes placed on the right and left occipital areas. Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure is a validated test of ideational and ideomotor apraxia. Secondary outcomes are measures of hand dexterity and coordination.

Being tested
Phoresor II
Keywords
Dementia Treatment, Hand Function, Clinical Trials, Dementia, Cortical Syndrome, CBS, Apraxia
Medical subject headings
Corticobasal Degeneration, Dementia, Apraxias

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Phoresor IIDevice

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Validated test of ideational and ideomotor apraxia.

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Measures of hand dexterity and coordination.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted9 Jan 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study start30 Dec 2005
  3. Primary completion11 Dec 2007

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrolment
20 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00273897
Sponsor's protocol ID
060067
Other IDs
06-N-0067
Status last verified
16 Dec 2008
First submitted
7 Jan 2006
Last updated
2 Jul 2017
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Boeve BF, Lang AE, Litvan I. Corticobasal degeneration and its relationship to progressive supranuclear palsy and frontotemporal dementia. Ann Neurol. 2003;54 Suppl 5:S15-9. doi: 10.1002/ana.10570. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12833363
  • Boeve BF, Maraganore DM, Parisi JE, Ahlskog JE, Graff-Radford N, Caselli RJ, Dickson DW, Kokmen E, Petersen RC. Pathologic heterogeneity in clinically diagnosed corticobasal degeneration. Neurology. 1999 Sep 11;53(4):795-800. doi: 10.1212/wnl.53.4.795.

    PubMed 10489043
  • Herwig U, Satrapi P, Schonfeldt-Lecuona C. Using the international 10-20 EEG system for positioning of transcranial magnetic stimulation. Brain Topogr. 2003 Winter;16(2):95-9. doi: 10.1023/b:brat.0000006333.93597.9d.

    PubMed 14977202

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Phoresor II in people with Corticobasal Syndrome, run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jul 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Validated test of ideational and ideomotor apraxia.. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00273897, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jul 2017.

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