tDCS as Treatment for Motor Function

NCT07291687 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 21-17
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Previous preliminary results are sufficiently impressive to suggest that tDCS stimulation does have the potential to improve motor function when that ability is trained during stimulation. In the proposed study, the investigation will assess whether walking sessions combined with tDCS lead to improvements in motor function: gait, articulation, eye gaze, and motor dexterity. In addition, the investigators wish to examine if such results can be replicated in people with other conditions, such as cortical basal syndrome, and Parkinson's disease.

Conditions

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy; Cortical Basal Ganglionic Degeneration; Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP),; Cortical basal syndrome (CBD)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Gait speed

  Within each round, scores from the final week and final session of real tDCS stimulation will be compared to performance during the first week and final sham tDCS session to check for significant improvement. Our primary outcome measures will be those found for gait; for example, a faster walking time subsequent to tDCS stimulation compared to the placebo baseline. Participants will also return two weeks later for a post-stimulation evaluation to check if improvement was maintained. To check if the arrangement of electrodes impacts the effect, times from the final tDCS session of each round will be compared.

  Measures collected at three points each round: baseline in week 1, post-treatment at the final stimulation session, and follow-up two weeks after the final session.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Articulation Quality (Clinician-Rated Speech Production on Word and Sentence Repetition)

  Measures collected at three points each round: baseline in week 1, post-treatment at the final stimulation session, and follow-up two weeks after the final session.

• Eye-Gaze Control (Clinician-Rated Ability to Track a Moving Target)

  Measures collected at three points each round: baseline in week 1, post-treatment at the final stimulation session, and follow-up two weeks after the final session.

Study Arms (2)

Real tDCS Stimulation:

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be exposed to 20 min of tDCS brain stimulation while undergoing training on cognitive tasks.

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS)

Sham Arm

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants will be exposed to 20 min of tDCS sham/placebo stimulation while undergoing training on cognitive tasks. Participants will have the exact same apparatus used but with no stimulation.

Device: Stimulation Arm

Interventions

Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) DEVICE

The Crossover design will enable us to use each participant as their own control.

Real tDCS Stimulation:

Stimulation Arm DEVICE

Participants will be exposed to the brain stimulation protocol while undergoing certain motor task during the training sessions.

Sham Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \- 1. Participants must be able to walk unassisted, or with the assistance of a walker or cane, and be individuals who walk daily.
• \. Participants should have a sufficient level of English to be able to express themselves verbally, be able to read and follow instructions.

You may not qualify if:

• \. Individuals with metal implants within the brain such as shunts will be excluded.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Baycrest: lead

Study Sites (1)

Baycrest Academy of Health Sciences and Geriatric Research

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive; Corticobasal Degeneration; Parkinson Disease

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Ophthalmoplegia; Ocular Motility Disorders; Cranial Nerve Diseases; Tauopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Paralysis; Neurologic Manifestations; Eye Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Parkinsonian Disorders; Synucleinopathies

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electric Stimulation Therapy; Therapeutics; Convulsive Therapy; Psychiatric Somatic Therapies; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Electroshock; Psychological Techniques

Study Officials

• Tyler Roncero, Ph.D

  Baycrest Academy of Health Sciences and Geriatric Research

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Howard Chertkow, MD

  Baycrest Academy of Health Sciences and Geriatric Research

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Alice Zhang, B.Sc

CONTACT

(416) 785-2500; azhang4@research.baycrest.org

Tyler Roncero, Ph.D

CONTACT

T (416) 785-2500; croncero@research.baycrest.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principle Investigator

Model Details: The study is a Longitudinal A-B-A study with alternating between real (A) and sham sessions (B).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Posted: December 18, 2025
• Study Start: October 30, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2030
• Last Updated: December 18, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)