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Cerebral PalsyEXOCEPNCT06266286

EXOPULSE Mollii Suit & Cerebral Palsy

A study testing EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active) in people with Cerebral Palsy, run by Institut De La Colonne Vertebrale Et Des Neurosciences at 4 sites in France.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Spasticity is a frequent and debilitating symptom in patients with cerebral palsy. It can alter the patients' balance, mobility, as well as their quality of life (QoL). The available therapeutic strategies for treating spasticity and related symptoms are usually faced with limited efficacy and numerous side effects. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 5 to 12 years
Conditions the study is for
Cerebral Palsy
What is being tested?
EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active)
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
32 participants
Where
4 sitesFrance
Study dates
13 Sep 2023to 30 Oct 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 5 to 12 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Age between 5 and 12 years.
  • Having a clinical diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral spastic cerebral palsy since at least one month.
  • Being able to walk freely, with slight limitation or using ancillary equipment's (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) score ≤3).
  • Having a PBS score < 45.
  • Being French speaker, able to understand verbal instructions, and affiliated to the national health insurance (sécurité sociale).
  • Having spasticity with a score of at least 1+ on the MAS

Who cannot join

  • Being included in another research protocol during the study period
  • Being unable to undergo medical monitor for the study purposes due to geographical or social reasons
  • Having contraindications to wearing EXOPULSE Mollii suit (i.e., implanted electronic medical devices or equipments which can be disrupted by magnets including ventriculoperitoneal shunts and intrathecal baclofen pumps, electronic life support equipment or high-frequency operation equipment, as well as well electrocardiography equipment or cardiac stimulator)
  • Having a change in the pharmacological therapy over the last three months
  • Suffering from other somatic or neuropsychiatric diagnoses (e.g., arrhythmias, uncontrolled epilepsy, diseases causing osteoarticular and muscular pain, skin diseases).
  • Suffering from a cutaneous disease
  • Using another medical device
  • Being part of other protected populations as defined in articles L. 1121-5, L. 1121 6,1121-8 and L. 1122-1-2 of the Public Health Code

Trial locations and contacts

4 sites in 1 country.

Samar S AYACHE, MD, PhD contact

0149814662

samarayache@gmail.com

Moussa A CHALAH, MD, PhD contact

moussachalah@gmail.com

France4 sites, 4 recruiting
  • Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal D'Aix Pertuis

    Aix-en-Provence

    PASCAL GRANIER, MD

    HELENE RAUSCENT, MD

    Recruiting
  • Centre Medico Chirurgical de Readaptation Des Massues

    Lyon

    EMMANUELLE CHALEAT - VALAYER, MD

    Marie-Charlotte D'ANJOU, MD

    Not yet recruiting
  • Centre de Sante Rossetti

    Nice

    GAUTIER DE CHELLE, MD

    Recruiting
  • Centre de Readaptation Pediatrique D'Oleron

    Saint-Trojan-les-Bains

    SOLENE VIOT, MD

    Recruiting

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: The Effects of EXOPULSE Mollii Suit on Motor Functions in Children With Cerebral Palsy (EXOCEP): A Pilot Study

Spasticity is a frequent and debilitating symptom in patients with cerebral palsy. It can alter the patients' balance, mobility, as well as their quality of life (QoL). The available therapeutic strategies for treating spasticity and related symptoms are usually faced with limited efficacy and numerous side effects. For these reasons, non-invasive stimulation techniques, namely transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation using EXOPULSE Mollii suit, might be of help in this context.

Read the detailed description

This work will assess the effects of the EXOPULSE Mollii suit, which is an assistance device applying non-invasive transcutaneous electrostimulation. The EXOPULSE Mollii control unit is a class IIa device, CE marked, and therefore compliant with the Medical Device Directive. Its intended use includes relaxing spastic muscles, maintaining or increasing the range of movement, activating and re-educating muscles, delaying or preventing atrophy due to disuse, increasing local blood flow, and symptomatic relief and management of chronic refractory pain.

The available interventions targeting spasticity are faced with some limitations. For instance, botulinum toxin injection does not seem to improve arm and hand capacity, walking, or quality of life. The available oral agents are challenged by their potential side effects, such as sedation, drowsiness, mental confusion, fatigue, ataxia, hallucination, insomnia, nausea, dry mouth, bradycardia, hypotension, and depression, to cite a few. Therefore, developing novel therapies would help to overcome the actual limitations. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has proven some efficacy in spasticity management. However, one should note that practical difficulties could arise when using TENS at home or in clinical practice (i.e., correctly attaching electrodes). To overcome these limitations, the EXOPULSE Mollii suit has been developed by Exoneural Network, a Swedish med-tech company. It represents an innovative approach for non-invasive electro-stimulation to reduce spasticity and improve motor function.

EXOPULSE Mollii suits consist of body Garments (Jacket and Pants) and a control unit. The body Garments (Jacket and Pants) is a suit with 58 embedded electrodes that can stimulate 40 groups of muscles, conductive wires, and connectors to a detachable control unit, whose intended purpose is to transmit electric pulses from the control unit to key nerves and corresponding muscle groups throughout the body. The control unit is a battery-powered electrical device that sends low-intensity electric pulses through connectors to the Body Garments which in turn transmits the pulses from the connectors to key nerves and corresponding muscle groups throughout the body.

EXOPULSE Mollii suit consists of transcutaneously stimulating the spastic antagonist muscles with an electric current (i.e., low frequency ~20 Hz, low intensity~2 mA), aiming to reduce muscle stiffness. This treatment method's theoretical background primarily refers to the concept of reciprocal inhibition, i.e., that sensory input from a muscle may inhibit the activation of an antagonistic muscle. Thus, the application of the EXOPULSE Mollii suit aims to stimulate a muscle, e.g., the anterior tibialis muscle to reduce reflex-mediated over-activity (i.e., spasticity) of calf muscles by inducing reciprocal inhibition.

There is growing evidence now from pilot applications of EXOPULSE Mollii suit indicating beneficial effects of using this suit on activity (i.e., mobility and gross motor function) and participation.

Conditions
Cerebral Palsy
Being tested
EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active), EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (sham)
Keywords
Spasticity, Motor Functions, Quality of life
Medical subject headings
Cerebral Palsy, Muscle Spasticity

What participants receive

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

  • EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active)Device

    Exopulse Mollii suit is a new assistive device that has been developed by Exoneural Network (initially Inerventions AB), a Swedish med-tech company. Exopulse Mollii suit is a full-body garment with integrated 58 electrodes that can transcutaneously stimulate several groups of muscles.

    This stimulation is not intended to obtain a motor effect (contraction of the muscles in question), but rather to decrease the spasticity in spastic muscles by activating the antagonistic muscles via the physiological mechanism of reciprocal inhibition. The device is CE labelled and is intended to use for reducing spasticity and improving blood circulation. The outfit is very easy to put on, it can be used for one hour every day and the analgesic effects last 24 hours or more

  • EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (sham)Device

    In the sham condition, the control unit will be programmed to start stimulating for 1 minute then it will shut off

Study groups in NCT06266286
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Active ComparatorActive comparatorActive stimulation sessions will last 1 hour each. Exopulse Mollii suits consists of a body Garments (Jacket and Pants) and a control unit. The body Garments (Jacket and Pants) is a suit with 58 embedded electrodes that can stimulate several groups of muscles, conductive wires and connectors to a detachable control unit, whose intended purpose is to transmit electric pulses from the control unit to key nerves and corresponding muscle groups throughout the body. The control unit is a battery powered electrical device which sends low intensity electric pulses through connectors to the Body Garments which in turn transmits the pulses from the connectors to key nerves and corresponding muscle groups throughout the body.
Receives: Device: EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active)
Sham ComparatorSham comparatorIn the sham condition, the control unit will be programmed to start stimulating for 1 minute then it will shut off.
Receives: Device: EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (sham)

What is being measured

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

  1. Improvement in balance using the PBS (Pédiatric Balance Scale) before and after active and sham stimulation

    Balance will be assessed using the 14-item PBS which has well psychometric properties in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy. The scale rates the balance using 56 points, with higher scores indicating better balance abilities.

    Measured: This will be assessed at baseline (day 1), 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Evaluation of the cumulative effects of EXOPULSE Mollii suit on balance using the PBS

    Balance will be assessed using the 14-item PBS which has well psychometric properties in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy. The scale rates the balance using 56 points, with higher scores indicating better balance abilities.

    Measured: This will be assessed at 8 weeks, at 12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

  2. Evaluation of the effects of EXOPULSE Mollii suit on spasticity using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)

    It will be evaluated by examiners using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS; scores ranging from 0 to 4 which respectively corresponds to normal muscle tone and rigidity, which has been frequently used in clinical settings to rate muscular tone

    Measured: This will be assessed at Day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

  3. Evaluation of the effects of EXOPULSE Mollii suit on mobility using the Timed Up and Go test (TUG)

    The score is expressed as the time (in seconds) required to perform sequential motor tasks (standing up from the chair, walking to the line on the floor at a normal pace, turning, walking back to the chair at a normal pace and finally sitting down).

    Measured: This will be assessed at Day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

  4. Quality of life will be measured using the EuroQol 5 dimensions quality of life questionnaire for youth (EQ-5D-Y)

    This variable will be measured using the EuroQol 5 dimensions quality of life questionnaire for youth (EQ-5D-Y), a scale developed by EuroQoL group for the pediatric population and has good psychometric properties in children and adolescent. EQ-5D-Y evaluates five dimensions: anxiety/depression, mobility, pain/difficulty, selfcare, and usual activities. The score of each dimension is calculated by assigning a numerical value to each response level (i.e., 1 for "no problems", 5 for "extreme problems"/"unable to") and summing these values across the five items, resulting in a score raning from 5 (no problems on any dimension) to 25 (extreme problems on all dimensions).

    Measured: This will be assessed at Day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

  5. Pain will be assessed using the Pain Scale Chart (PSC)

    Patients suffering from pain are asked to fill in the Pain Scale Chart (PSC) scored from 0 to 10 for pain. 0 meaning no pain and 10 meaning the worst pain experienced.

    Measured: This will be assessed at Day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks,12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

  6. Evaluation of overall improvement using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI)

    It's consisting of 7-point scale ranging from "very much improved since the initiation of treatment" to "very much worse since the initiation of treatment" (from 1 to 7)

    Measured: This will be assessed at Day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks,12 weeks, and at 32 weeks of using EXOPULSE Mollii suit

Timeline

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

  1. First posted20 Feb 2024
  2. Study start13 Sep 2023
  3. Primary completion30 Jun 2025 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Oct 2025 (estimated)

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
Crossover
Model description
The investigators designes a randomized crossover, sham-controlled, double- blind trial to demonstrate the improvement of motor functions and cerebral palsy related symptoms following two weeks of daily sessions of "active" versus "sham" EXOPULSE Mollii suit. A two-week washout period should be enough to prevent a potential carry- over effect. Two weeks after the end of this phase (phase 1), a second phase of this trial, an open label phase, will be proposed for all patients to understand the effects of EXOPULSE Mollii suit and will consist of six months of active stimulation (sessions performed on a daily basis with the same parameters used for the active session in phase 1) on cerebral palsy related symptoms. Summary: * Phase 1: randomized sham controlled crossover study (active versus sham condition) * Phase 2: Open label study (active condition)
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
32 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06266286
Sponsor's protocol ID
2022-A00233-40
Acronym
EXOCEP
Status last verified
Nov 2023
First submitted
16 Jan 2024
Last updated
20 Feb 2024
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 EXOPULSE MOLLII SUIT (active) in people with Cerebral Palsy, run by Institut De La Colonne Vertebrale Et Des Neurosciences at 4 sites 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 6 inclusion and 8 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 20 Feb 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 4 sites 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. 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.

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 Samar S AYACHE, MD, PhD (0149814662, samarayache@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Improvement in balance using the PBS (Pédiatric Balance Scale) before and after active and sham stimulation (time frame: This will be assessed at baseline (day 1), 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 8 weeks). 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 20 Feb 2024.

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