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Parkinson DiseaseSTAR-PARKNCT04897633

Modulation of Cognitive Control Via Transcranial Continuous Electrical Stimulation of Additional Motor Areas in Parkinson's Patients

A study testing transcranial electric stimulation in people with Parkinson Disease, run by Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille at 1 site in France.

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

In Parkinson's disease (PD), recent work has shown that dopaminergic treatments alter one of the two aspects of impulsivity: they do not alter the propensity to produce "automatic" responses, but deteriorate the ability to inhibit and correct (that is, control) them. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Parkinson Disease
What is being tested?
transcranial electric stimulation
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
67 participants
Where
1 siteFrance
Study dates
2 Jun 2021to 16 Jan 2025
Phase
Interventional
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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age> 18 years old
  • Idiopathic Parkinson's disease meeting the diagnostic criteria as defined by Ward and Gibb (1990)
  • Patients usually taking dopaminergic treatment.
  • No cognitive deterioration with: a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥ 26
  • Patient with Parkinson's disease in the advanced motor complications stage for which surgical treatment is being considered
  • Age> = 18 years old
Show all 18Show fewer
  • Patient free from Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
  • No cognitive deterioration: MMSE (MiniMentalSate Evaluation)> 26
  • Exclusion Criteria for both parkinsonien patients an healthy volunteers:
  • Uncorrected altered visual acuity
  • Dyschromatopsia (especially color blindness)
  • Psychotropic treatment introduced or modified recently (<1 month)
  • Wearing a pacemaker (Pace Maker or Implantable Defibrillator)
  • Pregnancy (verified by a urine pregnancy test for women of childbearing age)
  • Other central nervous system disease (other parkinsonian syndrome, epilesia, stroke, etc.) or peripheral
  • Intracranial metal implants on the cephalic stage and cochlear implant
  • Untreated progressive mood or psycho-behavioral disorder
  • Severe and poorly controlled eczema

Who cannot join

  • Significant and disabling abnormal movement, not allowing good acquisition of the EMG signal (tremors or dyskinesias)
  • Wearer of a Deep Brain Stimulation device (CI at tDCS).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

France1 site
  • Service Neurologie et pathologies du mouvement

    Marseille, 13005

Other trials in France

About this study

In Parkinson's disease (PD), recent work has shown that dopaminergic treatments alter one of the two aspects of impulsivity: they do not alter the propensity to produce "automatic" responses, but deteriorate the ability to inhibit and correct (that is, control) them. In healthy subjects, the investigator's team has also demonstrated that transcranial direct current "cathodal" electrical stimulation (tDCS) of Supplementary Motor Areas decreases the frequency of behavioral errors by improving the ability to "correct" responses.

The main objective of this project is to determine whether cathodal tDCS of Supplementary Motor Areas in PD patients under dopaminergic treatment improves the control and correction of errors about to be made and compensates for the deficits induced by the treatment.

Read more

All participants will perform a reaction time task of choice (Simon's task), with and without ("sham" session) tDCS. The experimental design of this single-center, single-blind, randomized study will be that of 3 parallel groups (treated Parkinson's disease, untreated Parkinson's disease patient, and matched control subjects) with cross-over application of tDCS. All participants will be blind to the operating mode of the tDCS (either functional or in "sham" mode corresponding to a control condition). The order of the sessions (with and without tDCS) will be randomized within each of the 3 groups of subjects. The analysis of errors about to be made but inhibited in time (known as "early errors") will be carried out through electromyographic (surface) recording of muscle activities involved in motor responses.

tDCS is expected to improve the ability of treated patients to correct their errors about to be made. This study will thus provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of action control and possibly propose a new therapeutic approach for treatment-induced impulsivity disorders in Parkinson's disease.

Being tested
transcranial electric stimulation
Keywords
transcranial stimulation, tDCS, simon task
Medical subject headings
Parkinson Disease

What participants receive

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

  • transcranial electric stimulationDevice

    Also called DC STIMULATOR PLUS

    Simon's task assessment when under tDCS

Study groups in NCT04897633
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Patients ONExperimentalPatients will performed Simon's task with tDCS active or sham when treatment is OFF (for standard care procedure)
Receives: Device: transcranial electric stimulation
Patients OFFExperimentalPatients will performed Simon's task with tDCS active or sham when treatment is ON (for standard care procedure)
Receives: Device: transcranial electric stimulation
Healthy volunteersExperimentalHealthy volunteers will performed Simon's task with tDCS active or sham
Receives: Device: transcranial electric stimulation

What is being measured

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

  1. Rapid error rate.

    Responses recorded on the opposite side to that expected

    Measured: Day 2

  2. Rapid error rate.

    Responses recorded on the opposite side to that expected

    Measured: Day 3

Timeline

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

  1. First posted21 May 2021
  2. Study start2 Jun 2021
  3. Primary completion16 Jan 2025
  4. Study completion16 Jan 2025

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
67 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04897633
Sponsor's protocol ID
2019-46
Other IDs
ID-RCB
Acronym
STAR-PARK
Status last verified
Jun 2025
First submitted
18 May 2021
Last updated
10 Jun 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing transcranial electric stimulation in people with Parkinson Disease, run by Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille at 1 site in France.

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 18 inclusion and 2 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 10 Jun 2025. 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 France. 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.

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?

Rapid error rate. (time frame: Day 2). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 10 Jun 2025.

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