NCT02080286

Brief Summary

The present study aims to compare the relative therapeutic efficacy of prism adaptation therapy combined with real versus sham tDCS. The investigators will test the hypothesis that the magnitude and duration of neglect improvement will be increased when prism therapy is combined with real tDCS compared to sham tDCS. A second objective is to test whether individual differences in baseline clinical or brain imaging measures can predict: 1) neglect severity or 2) inter-individual differences in patients' therapeutic response. A third goal is to use brain imaging to characterize the patterns of neural change induced by the intervention to identify brain structures that mediate therapeutic response.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
40

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2014

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2014

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

March 4, 2014

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 6, 2014

Completed
4.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

May 1, 2018

Completed
1.6 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2019

Completed
Last Updated

October 11, 2017

Status Verified

October 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

4.2 years

First QC Date

March 4, 2014

Last Update Submit

October 10, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

spatial neglectrehabilitationbrain stimulationtDCSprism adaptation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT)

    Change in score between the baseline session and the late post-intervention session.

    Assessed at the recruitment interview (week 0) and at the exit interview (8 weeks after the intervention)

  • Neglect Test Battery

    This battery features a range of computerized and paper-and-pencil tests of neglect (eg: cancellation, eye movement recordings, etc.). We are testing for the percentage change in performance on this battery from the baseline pre-intervention phase at each of the post-intervention timepoints.

    Assessed at 2 separate pre-intervention baseline sessions at least 1 week apart. Re-assessed following the intervention at intervals of 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Changes in brain imaging data

    Change in a range of MRI measures between one baseline pre-intervention scan and the post-intervention scan (+ 5 weeks)

Study Arms (3)

Prism adaptation + anodal tDCS

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receive 1 milliamp (mA) anodal tDCS over the left primary motor cortex concurrent with a 20-minute session of prism adaptation. They will undergo 5 consecutive daily sessions.

Behavioral: Prism AdaptationDevice: Anodal tDCS

Prism Adaptation + Sham tDCS

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants will receive Sham tDCS over the left primary motor cortex concurrent with a 20-minute session of prism adaptation. They will undergo 5 consecutive daily sessions.

Behavioral: Prism AdaptationDevice: Sham tDCS

Prism adaptation + no tDCS

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants will receive no tDCS at all but will undergo a 20-minute session of prism adaptation. They will undergo 5 consecutive daily sessions.

Behavioral: Prism Adaptation

Interventions

All participants will undergo prism adaptation, a form of behavioural therapy involving reaching and pointing movements while wearing glasses that induce an optical shift.

Prism Adaptation + Sham tDCSPrism adaptation + anodal tDCSPrism adaptation + no tDCS

Participants will receive 1mA anodal tDCS over the left primary motor cortex. The active (positive) electrode will be centered on the scalp overlying the primary motor cortex and the reference (negative) electrode will be placed over the contralateral supraorbital ridge. The stimulation will last 20 minutes and run concurrent with the duration of the prism adaptation therapy.

Prism adaptation + anodal tDCS
Sham tDCSDEVICE

Participants will receive 1mA sham tDCS over the left primary motor cortex. The active (positive) electrode will be centered on the scalp overlying the primary motor cortex and the reference (negative) electrode will be placed over the contralateral supraorbital ridge. The stimulation will last 20 minutes and run concurrent with the duration of the prism adaptation therapy.

Prism Adaptation + Sham tDCS

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 85 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study.
  • Male or Female, aged 18-85
  • At least one month post ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke or brain damage to the right hemisphere
  • Diagnosis of neglect confirmed by evidence of neglect on at least one of the tests in the battery of neglect tests administered during the Recruitment Interview
  • Absolute contraindications to participation in any part of the study:
  • Anyone who does not have adequate understanding of English, sufficient to give informed consent
  • Limited verbal communication in the form of dysphasia
  • Any person who has a history of drug abuse as the data collected may be influenced by their condition
  • Any person who has a history of dementia or any other psychiatric illness as the data collected may be influenced by their condition
  • Absolute contraindications to participation in the tDCS part of the study:
  • Anyone who has a previous personal history of epilepsy, seizures, febrile convulsions as a child or recurrent fainting fits will be excluded from the tDCS part of the study
  • Any metallic implant in the neck, head, or eye that is situated within the path of the tDCS current, and anyone with any implanted electrical devices, would be excluded as there is a risk of heating with tDCS
  • Pregnant women are excluded as a precaution as there are no data on the effect on maternal tDCS or MRI on the foetus
  • Absolute contraindications to participation in the MRI part of the study:
  • People who suffer from claustrophobia will be excluded from the MRI part of the study if they state they are unable to tolerate the scanner environment
  • +7 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

FMRIB Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford

Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

  • Elsner B, Kugler J, Pohl M, Mehrholz J. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving activities of daily living, and physical and cognitive functioning, in people after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 11;11(11):CD009645. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009645.pub4.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

StrokeCerebrovascular DisordersCerebral InfarctionBrain Diseases

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Central Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesVascular DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesBrain InfarctionBrain IschemiaInfarctionIschemiaPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsNecrosis

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electric Stimulation TherapyTherapeuticsConvulsive TherapyPsychiatric Somatic TherapiesBehavioral Disciplines and ActivitiesElectroshockPsychological Techniques

Study Officials

  • Jacinta O'Shea, Dr

    University of Oxford

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Thomas Smejka

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
CROSSOVER
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

March 4, 2014

First Posted

March 6, 2014

Study Start

February 1, 2014

Primary Completion

May 1, 2018

Study Completion

December 1, 2019

Last Updated

October 11, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-10

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