Cerebellar AtaxiatPCSNCT05625620
Cerebellar-spinal Transcranial Pulsed Current Stimulation (tPCS) for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Ataxia
A study testing Active Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation in people with Cerebellar Ataxia, run by Western University, Canada at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Neurodegenerative ataxia represents a group of disabling diseases. Patients mainly present with imbalance during walking, speech problem and difficulty in co-ordination during working with hands. No effective treatment is currently available for them. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Cerebellar Ataxia
- What is being tested?
- Active Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 15 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Jan 2023to Dec 2024
- 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 to 70 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients diagnosed with neurodegenerative ataxia (clinically or by genetic study).
Who cannot join
- Patients unable to walk even with support (wheelchair or bed bound patients for example)
- Other comorbidities deemed by the investigators to interfere with clinical, motor, gait or qEEG assessments.
- Patients with Pacemaker
- Patients with metal implants in the head/neck region
- Severe comorbidity
- Intake of illegal drugs
Show all 9Show fewer
- Pregnancy
- Patients unable to provide informed consent
- Patients unable to communicate in English.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario, N6A 5A5
Mandar Jog, Mandar.Jog@lhsc.on.ca
About this study
Official title: A Long Term At-home Trial With Cerebellar-spinal Transcranial Pulsed Current Stimulation (tPCS) for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Ataxia
Neurodegenerative ataxia represents a group of disabling diseases. Patients mainly present with imbalance during walking, speech problem and difficulty in co-ordination during working with hands. No effective treatment is currently available for them. Currently, studies are going on the effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in neurodegenerative diseases. It is a mode of brain stimulation technique where current is delivered into the brain by placing electrodes into their scalp. Transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) is a new modality of NIBS. . The clinical benefit observed after a single session of tPCS in 15 patients with neurodegenerative ataxia, suggest that prolonged stimulation could be even more effective. The investigator have planned to study the efficacy of long-term tPCS in these patients of neurodegenerative ataxia.
Patients will be first examined clinically by the researcher along with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome Scale (CCAS). Upper limb motor function, speech and Gait will be assessed according to the established protocol.
Read more
After the screening visit and inclusion, all patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation.
Anodal stimulation will be used for cerebellum and cathodal stimulation for the spinal stimulation. 20 min of non-invasive stimulation will be given via tPCS either real or sham stimulation. Patients will be trained and tolerability and ability to self-administer tPCS at home will be determined. Patients will continue tPCS at home 20 min daily for 2 weeks (7 days/week for 2 weeks). Assessments will be carried out 2 weeks after the first intervention (either real or sham tPCS).Then, patients will be reassessed at 1-month and 3-months follow-ups. After a washout period of 3 months since the last visit, each patient will receive the opposite treatment and undergo the same standardized assessment as in the first phase.
Read the detailed description
The investigator have planned to study the efficacy of long-term tPCS in these patients of neurodegenerative ataxia. Anodal stimulation will be used for cerebellum and cathodal stimulation for the spinal stimulation.
After the screening visit and inclusion, all patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. After a washout period of three months, all patients will be crossover to the other intervention. By the end of the study all patients will receive a cycle of tPCS and a cycle of sham stimulation. Clinical rater will be blinded throughout the whole study.
After screening and randomization, all patients will undergo a baseline clinical assessment. A blinded researcher will apply the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome Scale (CCAS). Also will asses speech, gait, and upper limb motor function. Speech will be assessed according to the established protocol. Gait will be assessed via Gait Carpet. Upper limb motor function will be assessed by a robotic arm called KinArm. At the initial visit, the patient will be trained and tolerability and ability to self-administer tPCS at home will be determined.Assessments will be carried out 2 weeks after the first intervention (either real or sham tPCS) .Then, patients will be reassessed at 1-month and 3-months follow-ups. After a washout period of 3 months since the last visit, each patient will receive the opposite treatment and undergo the same standardized assessment as in the first phase.
tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes. For the sham condition, electrode position will be same, but the electric current will be ramped down 5 seconds after the beginning of the stimulation to make this condition indistinguishable from the experimental active stimulation.
Participant's speech will be recorded using a head-mounted microphone (AKG-c520) and a digital recording device (Zoom H4nPro) while performing the following calibrated tasks. Calibration involves a sound level meter placed at 15cm from the mouth while talker says 'ah' at 70dBA. The following speech tasks will be assessed-
- Prolonged 'ah'.
- Rapid repetitions of the sounds "puh", "tuh", and "kuh".
- Two productions of a sentence with selected speech sounds (s, sh, p, b, t, i, a, u, ae, ai). "She saw Patty buy two poppies."
- Two times louder production of a sentence with selected speech sounds. "She saw Patty buy two poppies."
- Repetition of a continuous vowel at normal and fast rates. 'eye-eye-eye-eye-eye' without making any voice breaks or pauses".
- Read aloud a section of a standard passage - standard rainbow passage
- Monologue. Talk for two minutes about an interesting vacation (or an interesting hobby or activity).
For gait, the Zeno walkway it will be used. The Zeno walkway will be used in conjunction with the ProtoKinetics Movement Analysis Software (PKMAS). This detects pressure data during gait, balance, and additional movement protocols.
For measuring upper limb movements, KinARM will be used which is the short form of a robotic device. The KinARM initially provides the patients with multiple points to reach in the screen and the patients would try to reach these points using the KinARM handle.
All quantitative data will be expressed in term of medians and interquartile range. For qualitative variables, data will be expressed in total numbers and proportions (percentages).
Quantitative results from every assessment (T0, T1, T2 and T3) will be compared between sham and real stimulation using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. For qualitative data, variables will be compared using the chi-square (χ 2) test or the Fisher's exact test when appropriate. For all analyses a p<0.05 was specified as statistically significant.
- Conditions
- Cerebellar Ataxia
- Being tested
- Active Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation, Sham Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation
- Keywords
- Non-invasive Stimulation, Transcranial Pulsed Current stimulation
- Medical subject headings
- Cerebellar Ataxia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Active Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationDevice
Active tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes.
Sham Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationDevice
Sham tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes. Electric Current will be ramped down 5 seconds after the beginning of the stimulation to make this condition indistinguishable from the experimental active stimulation.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental: Real tPCS | Experimental | All patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. Real tPCS arm will receive active tPCS. Then they will be crossed over to Sham tPCS arm. Receives: Device: Active Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation |
| Sham tPCS | Experimental | All patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. Sham tPCS arm will receive active tPCS. Then they will be crossed over to Real tPCS arm. Receives: Device: Sham Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) Score From Baseline after 2-week/daily tPCS
The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of tPCS in patients of neurodegenerative ataxia applying the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) pre and post stimulation. The scale is for assessing severity of ataxia, that consists of assessment of gait, stance, sitting, speech, finger chase, finger to nose test, fast alternating hand movement, heel-shin test. The total score ranges from 0( no ataxia) to 36(most severe ataxia).
Measured: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Secondary outcomes (4)
Changes in spatiotemporal gait measures using objective gait analysis
The investigators will use Zeno Walkway Gait carpet and the spatiotemporal details of the gait will be analyzed by ProtoKinetics Movement Analysis Software (PKMAS) software, pre and post stimulation
Measured: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in speech
The investigators will use standardized speech protocol pre and post stimulation to assess speech
Measured: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in upper limb co-ordination
The investigators will use KinArm pre and post stimulation to have objective measurement of upper limb co-ordination
Measured: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in the Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) Scale From Baseline
CCAS/Schmahmann syndrome scale: 120 point scale, yielding a total score of 0 (most severe cognitive impairment) to 120 (no cognitive impairment).
Measured: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Nov 2022
- Study startJan 2023 (estimated)
- Primary completionJun 2024 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2024 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cerebellar AtaxiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Western University, CanadaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Crossover
- Model description
- Crossover Assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Western University, Canada
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mandar Jog, Western University, Canada
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05625620
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 121665
- Acronym
- tPCS
- Status last verified
- Nov 2022
- First submitted
- 1 Nov 2022
- Last updated
- 23 Nov 2022
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Antal A, Alekseichuk I, Bikson M, Brockmoller J, Brunoni AR, Chen R, Cohen LG, Dowthwaite G, Ellrich J, Floel A, Fregni F, George MS, Hamilton R, Haueisen J, Herrmann CS, Hummel FC, Lefaucheur JP, Liebetanz D, Loo CK, McCaig CD, Miniussi C, Miranda PC, Moliadze V, Nitsche MA, Nowak R, Padberg F, Pascual-Leone A, Poppendieck W, Priori A, Rossi S, Rossini PM, Rothwell J, Rueger MA, Ruffini G, Schellhorn K, Siebner HR, Ugawa Y, Wexler A, Ziemann U, Hallett M, Paulus W. Low intensity transcranial electric stimulation: Safety, ethical, legal regulatory and application guidelines. Clin Neurophysiol. 2017 Sep;128(9):1774-1809. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.06.001. Epub 2017 Jun 19.
PubMed 28709880Manto M, Gandini J, Feil K, Strupp M. Cerebellar ataxias: an update. Curr Opin Neurol. 2020 Feb;33(1):150-160. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000774.
PubMed 31789706Kim JS, Cho JW. Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxias: A Korean Perspective. J Mov Disord. 2015 May;8(2):67-75. doi: 10.14802/jmd.15006. Epub 2015 May 31.
PubMed 26090078Benussi A, Pascual-Leone A, Borroni B. Non-Invasive Cerebellar Stimulation in Neurodegenerative Ataxia: A Literature Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Mar 12;21(6):1948. doi: 10.3390/ijms21061948.
PubMed 32178459Benussi A, Dell'Era V, Cotelli MS, Turla M, Casali C, Padovani A, Borroni B. Long term clinical and neurophysiological effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with neurodegenerative ataxia. Brain Stimul. 2017 Mar-Apr;10(2):242-250. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.11.001. Epub 2016 Nov 3.
PubMed 27838276Ganguly J, Murgai A, Sharma S, Aur D, Jog M. Non-invasive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Movement Disorders. Front Neurosci. 2020 Jun 5;14:522. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00522. eCollection 2020.
PubMed 32581682Alon G, Yungher DA, Shulman LM, Rogers MW. Safety and immediate effect of noninvasive transcranial pulsed current stimulation on gait and balance in Parkinson disease. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2012 Nov-Dec;26(9):1089-95. doi: 10.1177/1545968312448233. Epub 2012 May 10.
PubMed 22581566Benussi A, Dell'Era V, Cantoni V, Bonetta E, Grasso R, Manenti R, Cotelli M, Padovani A, Borroni B. Cerebello-spinal tDCS in ataxia: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover trial. Neurology. 2018 Sep 18;91(12):e1090-e1101. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006210. Epub 2018 Aug 22.
PubMed 30135258
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Nov 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Long Term At-home Trial With Cerebellar-spinal Transcranial Pulsed Current Stimulation (tPCS) for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Ataxia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05625620
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- tPCS / 121665
- Conditions
- Cerebellar Ataxia
- Keywords
- Non-invasive Stimulation, Transcranial Pulsed Current stimulation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Western University, CanadaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jan 2023 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2024 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Neurodegenerative ataxia represents a group of disabling diseases. Patients mainly present with imbalance during walking, speech problem and difficulty in co-ordination during working with hands. No effective treatment is currently available for them. Currently, studies are going on the effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in neurodegenerative diseases. It is a mode of brain stimulation technique where current is delivered into the brain by placing electrodes into their scalp. Transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) is a new modality of NIBS. . The clinical benefit observed after a single session of tPCS in 15 patients with neurodegenerative ataxia, suggest that prolonged stimulation could be even more effective. The investigator have planned to study the efficacy of long-term tPCS in these patients of neurodegenerative ataxia.
Patients will be first examined clinically by the researcher along with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome Scale (CCAS). Upper limb motor function, speech and Gait will be assessed according to the established protocol.
After the screening visit and inclusion, all patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation.
Anodal stimulation will be used for cerebellum and cathodal stimulation for the spinal stimulation. 20 min of non-invasive stimulation will be given via tPCS either real or sham stimulation. Patients will be trained and tolerability and ability to self-administer tPCS at home will be determined. Patients will continue tPCS at home 20 min daily for 2 weeks (7 days/week for 2 weeks). Assessments will be carried out 2 weeks after the first intervention (either real or sham tPCS).Then, patients will be reassessed at 1-month and 3-months follow-ups. After a washout period of 3 months since the last visit, each patient will receive the opposite treatment and undergo the same standardized assessment as in the first phase.
Detailed description
The investigator have planned to study the efficacy of long-term tPCS in these patients of neurodegenerative ataxia. Anodal stimulation will be used for cerebellum and cathodal stimulation for the spinal stimulation.
After the screening visit and inclusion, all patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. After a washout period of three months, all patients will be crossover to the other intervention. By the end of the study all patients will receive a cycle of tPCS and a cycle of sham stimulation. Clinical rater will be blinded throughout the whole study.
After screening and randomization, all patients will undergo a baseline clinical assessment. A blinded researcher will apply the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome Scale (CCAS). Also will asses speech, gait, and upper limb motor function. Speech will be assessed according to the established protocol. Gait will be assessed via Gait Carpet. Upper limb motor function will be assessed by a robotic arm called KinArm. At the initial visit, the patient will be trained and tolerability and ability to self-administer tPCS at home will be determined.Assessments will be carried out 2 weeks after the first intervention (either real or sham tPCS) .Then, patients will be reassessed at 1-month and 3-months follow-ups. After a washout period of 3 months since the last visit, each patient will receive the opposite treatment and undergo the same standardized assessment as in the first phase.
tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes. For the sham condition, electrode position will be same, but the electric current will be ramped down 5 seconds after the beginning of the stimulation to make this condition indistinguishable from the experimental active stimulation.
Participant's speech will be recorded using a head-mounted microphone (AKG-c520) and a digital recording device (Zoom H4nPro) while performing the following calibrated tasks. Calibration involves a sound level meter placed at 15cm from the mouth while talker says 'ah' at 70dBA. The following speech tasks will be assessed-
- Prolonged 'ah'.
- Rapid repetitions of the sounds "puh", "tuh", and "kuh".
- Two productions of a sentence with selected speech sounds (s, sh, p, b, t, i, a, u, ae, ai). "She saw Patty buy two poppies."
- Two times louder production of a sentence with selected speech sounds. "She saw Patty buy two poppies."
- Repetition of a continuous vowel at normal and fast rates. 'eye-eye-eye-eye-eye' without making any voice breaks or pauses".
- Read aloud a section of a standard passage - standard rainbow passage
- Monologue. Talk for two minutes about an interesting vacation (or an interesting hobby or activity).
For gait, the Zeno walkway it will be used. The Zeno walkway will be used in conjunction with the ProtoKinetics Movement Analysis Software (PKMAS). This detects pressure data during gait, balance, and additional movement protocols.
For measuring upper limb movements, KinARM will be used which is the short form of a robotic device. The KinARM initially provides the patients with multiple points to reach in the screen and the patients would try to reach these points using the KinARM handle.
All quantitative data will be expressed in term of medians and interquartile range. For qualitative variables, data will be expressed in total numbers and proportions (percentages).
Quantitative results from every assessment (T0, T1, T2 and T3) will be compared between sham and real stimulation using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. For qualitative data, variables will be compared using the chi-square (χ 2) test or the Fisher's exact test when appropriate. For all analyses a p<0.05 was specified as statistically significant.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Crossover Assignment
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental: Real tPCS | Experimental | Device: Active Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationAll patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. Real tPCS arm will receive active tPCS. Then they will be crossed over to Sham tPCS arm. |
| Sham tPCS | Experimental | Device: Sham Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationAll patients will be randomized into daily cerebello- spinal tPCS or sham stimulation. Randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1. Sham tPCS arm will receive active tPCS. Then they will be crossed over to Real tPCS arm. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Patients diagnosed with neurodegenerative ataxia (clinically or by genetic study).
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Patients unable to walk even with support (wheelchair or bed bound patients for example)
- Other comorbidities deemed by the investigators to interfere with clinical, motor, gait or qEEG assessments.
- Patients with Pacemaker
- Patients with metal implants in the head/neck region
- Severe comorbidity
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Active Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationActive tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes. | Device | Experimental: Real tPCS |
| Sham Transcranial Pulse Current StimulationSham tPCS will be delivered through a pair of saline-soaked (0.9% NaCl) surface sponge electrodes (7 × 5 cm2, for the anodal cerebellar electrode; 8 × 6 cm2 for the cathodal spinal electrode). Anodal stimulation will be applied on the scalp over the cerebellum area (2 cm under the inion) and the cathode will be placed over the spinal lumbar enlargement (2 cm under T11). During anodal stimulation, a constant current of 2 mA will be applied for 20 minutes. Electric Current will be ramped down 5 seconds after the beginning of the stimulation to make this condition indistinguishable from the experimental active stimulation. | Device | Sham tPCS |
Primary outcome
Change in the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) Score From Baseline after 2-week/daily tPCS
Time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of tPCS in patients of neurodegenerative ataxia applying the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) pre and post stimulation. The scale is for assessing severity of ataxia, that consists of assessment of gait, stance, sitting, speech, finger chase, finger to nose test, fast alternating hand movement, heel-shin test. The total score ranges from 0( no ataxia) to 36(most severe ataxia).
4 secondary outcomes
Changes in spatiotemporal gait measures using objective gait analysis
Time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in speech
Time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in upper limb co-ordination
Time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Change in the Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) Scale From Baseline
Time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Nov 2022.
- Background: PubMed 28709880Antal A, Alekseichuk I, Bikson M, Brockmoller J, Brunoni AR, Chen R, Cohen LG, Dowthwaite G, Ellrich J, Floel A, Fregni F, George MS, Hamilton R, Haueisen J, Herrmann CS, Hummel FC, Lefaucheur JP, Liebetanz D, Loo CK, McCaig CD, Miniussi C, Miranda PC, Moliadze V, Nitsche MA, Nowak R, Padberg F, Pascual-Leone A, Poppendieck W, Priori A, Rossi S, Rossini PM, Rothwell J, Rueger MA, Ruffini G, Schellhorn K, Siebner HR, Ugawa Y, Wexler A, Ziemann U, Hallett M, Paulus W. Low intensity transcranial electric stimulation: Safety, ethical, legal regulatory and application guidelines. Clin Neurophysiol. 2017 Sep;128(9):1774-1809. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.06.001. Epub 2017 Jun 19.
- Results publication: PubMed 31789706Manto M, Gandini J, Feil K, Strupp M. Cerebellar ataxias: an update. Curr Opin Neurol. 2020 Feb;33(1):150-160. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000774.
- Results publication: PubMed 26090078Kim JS, Cho JW. Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxias: A Korean Perspective. J Mov Disord. 2015 May;8(2):67-75. doi: 10.14802/jmd.15006. Epub 2015 May 31.
- Results publication: PubMed 32178459Benussi A, Pascual-Leone A, Borroni B. Non-Invasive Cerebellar Stimulation in Neurodegenerative Ataxia: A Literature Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Mar 12;21(6):1948. doi: 10.3390/ijms21061948.
- Results publication: PubMed 27838276Benussi A, Dell'Era V, Cotelli MS, Turla M, Casali C, Padovani A, Borroni B. Long term clinical and neurophysiological effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with neurodegenerative ataxia. Brain Stimul. 2017 Mar-Apr;10(2):242-250. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.11.001. Epub 2016 Nov 3.
- Results publication: PubMed 32581682Ganguly J, Murgai A, Sharma S, Aur D, Jog M. Non-invasive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Movement Disorders. Front Neurosci. 2020 Jun 5;14:522. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00522. eCollection 2020.
- Results publication: PubMed 22581566Alon G, Yungher DA, Shulman LM, Rogers MW. Safety and immediate effect of noninvasive transcranial pulsed current stimulation on gait and balance in Parkinson disease. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2012 Nov-Dec;26(9):1089-95. doi: 10.1177/1545968312448233. Epub 2012 May 10.
- Results publication: PubMed 30135258Benussi A, Dell'Era V, Cantoni V, Bonetta E, Grasso R, Manenti R, Cotelli M, Padovani A, Borroni B. Cerebello-spinal tDCS in ataxia: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover trial. Neurology. 2018 Sep 18;91(12):e1090-e1101. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006210. Epub 2018 Aug 22.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Active Transcranial Pulse Current Stimulation in people with Cerebellar Ataxia, run by Western University, Canada at 1 site in Canada.
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 1 inclusion and 9 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Nov 2022. 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 Canada. 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?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Mandar Jog, MD (519-685-8500 ext. 33814, jog@lhsc.on.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) Score From Baseline after 2-week/daily tPCS (time frame: Baseline - 2 weeks - 1 month - 3 months). 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 NCT05625620, which also lists 8 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 23 Nov 2022.