NCT04606979Completed
tDCS of the Primary Motor Cortex to Improve Implicit Motor Sequence Learning in Parkinson's Disease
The Potential of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Primary Motor Cortex to Promote Implicit Motor Sequence Learning in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease and Age-matched Healthy Controls
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 24 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Implicit motor sequence learning (IMSL) is a form of cognitive function that is known to be directly associated with impaired motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). Research in healthy young participants shows the potential for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, over the primary motor cortex (M1) to enhance IMSL. tDCS has direct effects on the underlying cortex, but also induces distant (basal ganglia) network effects - hence its potential value in PD, a prime model of basal ganglia dysfunction. To date, however, only null-effects have been reported in persons with PD. In the present study, the investigators will investigate the potential of tDCS delivered over M1 to enhance IMSL, as measured by the Serial Reaction Time task, in persons with PD. The investigators will determine immediate effects that may occur concurrently with the application of tDCS but also short-term (five minutes post-tDCS) and long-term (one week post-tDCS) consolidation effects, as previous studies suggest that tDCS exerts its beneficial effects on IMSL in a consolidation phase rather than in an acquisition phase. Establishing possible consolidation effects is of a particular interest, as long-term effects are vital for the successful functional rehabilitation of persons with PD.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 30 (actual)
- First submitted
- 10 Oct 2020
- Start date
- 11 Oct 2020
- Primary completion date
- 9 Feb 2024
- Lead sponsor
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Diseases
- Parkinson disease
- NCT number
- NCT04606979
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 30
- From 11 Oct 2020 to the primary completion date, 9 Feb 2024
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- additional neurological disorders
- any of the following tDCS contra-indications: deep brain stimulator; pacemaker; head wound; skin condition of the scalp; a history of epilepsy
Who the study is looking for
- diagnosed with the idiopathic form of PD by a neurologist (PD subjects only)
- Dutch or French speaking
- sufficient upper limb motor skills to perform the SRT-task (determined by means of a practice version of the SRT-task consisting of one block of 50 random trials)
- able to signal pain or discomfort
- able to give informed consent
Age in the registry: 55 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vrije Universiteit Brussel Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Brussels | Belgium | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.