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StrokePhase 1/2NCT05369533

Dopaminergic Enhancement of Rehabilitation Therapy Early After Stroke

A Phase 1/2 study testing Telerehabilitation and Sinemet Pill in people with Stroke, run by University of California, Los Angeles 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 explores the effects of telerehabilitation and a study medication on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with stroke resulting in arm weakness. Patients with arm weakness due to a stroke that happened in the past 30 days will be randomized into one of three groups: [1] TR and placebo (a sugar pill) on top… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Stroke
What is being tested?
Telerehabilitation and Sinemet Pill
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
25 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Aug 2022to 11 Mar 2024
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Stroke that has been radiologically verified and has time of onset 30 days or less from the time of randomization
  • ARAT score of <32 (out of 57) at Visit 1
  • At Visit 1, either
  • BBT score with affected arm is at least 1 block in 60 seconds OR
  • There is a visible flicker in each of the following movements with gravity eliminated: wrist extension and finger flexion
Show all 10Show fewer
  • At Visit 1, either
  • The range of motion against gravity must be ≥45 degrees in both the paretic shoulder and elbow OR
  • the patient must be able to use at least 3 different telerehab system input devices
  • Informed consent and behavioral contract signed by the subject (i.e., no surrogate consent)

Who cannot join

  • A major, active, coexistent neurological or psychiatric disease (e.g., alcoholism or dementia)
  • Major medical disorder that reduces subject's ability to comply with study procedures
  • Severe depression, defined as CES-D score >24 at screening visit
  • Significant cognitive impairment, defined as presence of either
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score <22 OR
  • Trail Making Test: Part A score ≤14
Show all 24Show fewer
  • Note that lower scores may be permitted if due to aphasia and if the patient is specifically allowed by Dr. Cramer
  • Deficits in communication that interfere with reasonable study participation
  • Lacking visual acuity, with or without corrective lens, of 20/50 or better in at least one eye
  • Life expectancy <6 months
  • Pregnant
  • Botox to arms, legs or trunk in the preceding 4 months, or expectation that Botox will be administered to the arm, leg or trunk within 3 months of study enrollment
  • Unable to successfully perform all 3 rehabilitation exercise test examples
  • Unable or unwilling to perform study procedures/therapy or attend study visits, or expectation of noncompliance with study procedures/therapy
  • Non-English or non-Spanish speaking, such that subject does not speak either language sufficiently to comply with study procedures
  • Isolation due to active COVID-19
  • Any contraindication to L-Dopa:
  • Patient is currently taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor; if the patient took such a drug in the past, it must be discontinued at least two weeks prior to study enrollment
  • Known hypersensitivity to any component of Sinemet
  • Narrow-angle glaucoma; if wide-angle glaucoma is present, the patient can only be enrolled with explicit written approval from their ophthalmologist
  • History of melanoma or suspected melanoma
  • Patient is currently taking phenytoin, papaverine, isoniazid, or a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist (such as a phenothiazine, butyrophenone, or risperidone)
  • Currently taking a direct dopaminergic agonist
  • Expectation that subject will not have single domicile address during 6 weeks of therapy that has either Verizon wireless reception or a home WiFi network and that has space for TR system, and is within 30 miles of Cal Rehab

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • California Rehabilitation Institute

    Los Angeles, California, 90067

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study explores the effects of telerehabilitation and a study medication on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with stroke resulting in arm weakness. Patients with arm weakness due to a stroke that happened in the past 30 days will be randomized into one of three groups: [1] TR and placebo (a sugar pill) on top of usual care; [2] TR and a medication (Sinemet 25/100) on top of usual care; [3] or usual care alone (no TR and no pill, but people in this group will be offered TR once the study is done). TR consists of 70 minutes/day of activities targeting arm function, 6 days a week for 6 weeks.

Read the detailed description

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that involves the use of telerehabilitation to deliver additional therapy for persons with stroke. Participants with arm weakness due to a stroke in the past 30 days will be randomized into one of three groups: (1) TR + Sinemet on top of usual care, (2) TR + placebo (sugar pill) on top of usual care, or (3) usual care only (no TR, no pill). The hypothesis of this study is patients receiving TR will have significantly greater recovery of arm function compared to patients receiving usual care. In addition, Sinemet is hypothesized to significantly enhancing this improvement.

Study participation will last up to 3 months and includes 4 in-person visits. At these visits, patients will undergo a battery of assessments including arm function, a single MRI scan of the brain, and blood draw for genotyping. Patients undergoing TR will receive arm motor training, which consists of 36 sessions of of assigned exercises, games, and stroke education; these are 70 minutes in length and take 6 days a week over 6-8 weeks. Subjects receiving TR will take a pill (Sinemet or placebo) prior to the TR training for the first 18 TR sessions; TR subjects will also continue usual care. Patients in the usual care group will not engage in TR or take a study pill, but will instead continue all of the therapies recommended by their medical team. At the end of the study, participants in the usual care group will be offered TR.

Conditions
Stroke
Being tested
Telerehabilitation, Sinemet Pill, Placebo
Keywords
stroke, rehabilitation, telehealth, dopamine
Medical subject headings
Stroke

What participants receive

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

  • TelerehabilitationDevice

    The telerehabilitation system will deliver rehabilitation treatment sessions via a secured internet-connected computer. TR sessions will be a combination of games, exercises, stroke education, assessments, in addition to videoconferencing with therapists to discuss progress, issues, goals, and changes to the treatment plan.

  • Sinemet PillDrug

    Sinemet 25/100 will be taken 1 hour prior to TR, for the first 18 sessions.

  • PlaceboDrug

    Placebo will be taken 1 hour prior to TR, for the first 18 sessions.

Study groups in NCT05369533
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Telerehabilitation + SinemetActive comparatorPatients will receive 36 telerehabilitation sessions targeting arm motor function. TR consists of 70 minutes/day of activities targeting arm function, 6 days/week for 6-8 weeks. Half of these sessions are supervised by a licensed therapist, and the other half are done independently. Sinemet is taken one hour before starting TR, for the first 18 sessions.
Receives: Device: Telerehabilitation; Drug: Sinemet Pill
Telerehabilitation + PlaceboPlacebo comparatorPatients will receive 36 telerehabilitation sessions targeting arm motor function. TR consists of 70 minutes/day of activities targeting arm function, 6 days/week for 6-8 weeks. Half of these sessions are supervised by a licensed therapist, and the other half are done independently. Placebo is taken one hour before starting TR, for the first 18 sessions.
Receives: Device: Telerehabilitation; Drug: Placebo
Usual careNo interventionParticipants in the usual care group will receive no TR or study pill, but will continue with the recommendations made by their care team. All participants will be offered TR at the end of the study.

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in Action Research Arm Test Score From Baseline to 3 Months

    Measures arm function using a scale that runs from 0 to 57 points, with higher scores indicating greater arm function.

    Measured: Measured at baseline and 3 months later

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Change in Arm Motor Fugl-Meyer Scale From Baseline to 3 Months

    Measures arm motor impairment using a scale that runs from 0 to 66 points, with higher scores indicating greater arm motor function (less impairment)

    Measured: Measured at baseline and 3 months later

Timeline

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

  1. First posted11 May 2022
  2. Study start1 Aug 2022
  3. Primary completion11 Mar 2024
  4. Study completion11 Mar 2024

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 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Patients are randomized to TR + placebo, TR + Sinemet, or usual care
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
25 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05369533
Sponsor's protocol ID
22-000104
Status last verified
Mar 2025
First submitted
22 Apr 2022
Last updated
24 Mar 2025
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
Yes: A de-identified dataset will be shared with appropriate personnel after the main study manuscript is published

Publications

  • Dodakian L, McKenzie AL, Le V, See J, Pearson-Fuhrhop K, Burke Quinlan E, Zhou RJ, Augsberger R, Tran XA, Friedman N, Reinkensmeyer DJ, Cramer SC. A Home-Based Telerehabilitation Program for Patients With Stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2017 Oct-Nov;31(10-11):923-933. doi: 10.1177/1545968317733818. Epub 2017 Oct 26.

    PubMed 29072556
  • Chen Y, Abel KT, Janecek JT, Chen Y, Zheng K, Cramer SC. Home-based technologies for stroke rehabilitation: A systematic review. Int J Med Inform. 2019 Mar;123:11-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.12.001. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

    PubMed 30654899
  • Cramer SC, Dodakian L, Le V, See J, Augsburger R, McKenzie A, Zhou RJ, Chiu NL, Heckhausen J, Cassidy JM, Scacchi W, Smith MT, Barrett AM, Knutson J, Edwards D, Putrino D, Agrawal K, Ngo K, Roth EJ, Tirschwell DL, Woodbury ML, Zafonte R, Zhao W, Spilker J, Wolf SL, Broderick JP, Janis S; National Institutes of Health StrokeNet Telerehab Investigators. Efficacy of Home-Based Telerehabilitation vs In-Clinic Therapy for Adults After Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Sep 1;76(9):1079-1087. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1604.

    PubMed 31233135
  • Chen Y, Chen Y, Zheng K, Dodakian L, See J, Zhou R, Chiu N, Augsburger R, McKenzie A, Cramer SC. A qualitative study on user acceptance of a home-based stroke telerehabilitation system. Top Stroke Rehabil. 2020 Mar;27(2):81-92. doi: 10.1080/10749357.2019.1683792. Epub 2019 Nov 4.

    PubMed 31682789
  • Cramer SC, Dodakian L, Le V, McKenzie A, See J, Augsburger R, Zhou RJ, Raefsky SM, Nguyen T, Vanderschelden B, Wong G, Bandak D, Nazarzai L, Dhand A, Scacchi W, Heckhausen J. A Feasibility Study of Expanded Home-Based Telerehabilitation After Stroke. Front Neurol. 2021 Feb 3;11:611453. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.611453. eCollection 2020.

    PubMed 33613417
  • Paik SM, Cramer SC. Predicting motor gains with home-based telerehabilitation after stroke. J Telemed Telecare. 2023 Dec;29(10):799-807. doi: 10.1177/1357633X211023353. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

    PubMed 34156873
  • Pearson-Fuhrhop KM, Cramer SC. Pharmacogenetics of neural injury recovery. Pharmacogenomics. 2013 Oct;14(13):1635-43. doi: 10.2217/pgs.13.152.

    PubMed 24088134

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Telerehabilitation and Sinemet Pill in people with Stroke, run by University of California, Los Angeles 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 10 inclusion and 24 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 24 Mar 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 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 24 Mar 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Change in Action Research Arm Test Score From Baseline to 3 Months (time frame: Measured at baseline and 3 months later). 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 NCT05369533, which also lists 7 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 24 Mar 2025.

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