Tongue Nerve Stimulation With Arm Training After Stroke
Tests tongue nerve stimulation alongside arm strength training in adults with chronic stroke.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Cranial Nerve Neuromodulation to Improve Arm Function and Brain Plasticity in Stroke
Key facts
- Where
- Laval, Québec, and Sherbrooke, CanadaSee the 3 sites
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 85 years old?
Source: NCT06386510, who can take part
Where in Canada
- CRIR/Feil/Oberfeld Research Center; Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Laval; Jewish Rehabilitation HospitalLaval, CanadaTaking people
- CIRRISQuébec, CanadaTaking people
- Centre de recherche sur le vieillissementSherbrooke, CanadaTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Trial code
- NCT06386510
- Record updated
- 8 May 2026
- Original description
Following a stroke, persistent residual muscle weakness in the upper limb (UL) drastically impacts the individuals' quality of life and level of independence. Training interventions are recommended to promote UL motor recovery, and recent studies have shown that training must be tailored to each individual's recovery potential to maximise training gains. Complementary to training interventions, non-invasive brain stimulation devices (NIBS) can help support the provision of post-stroke care by modulating brain excitability and enhancing recovery. Among NIBS, cranial nerve non-invasive neuromodulation (CN-NINM) is gaining increasing attention in rehabilitation since it can directly and non-invasively stimulate the tongue's cranial nerves. The impulses generated can then reach the motor cortex, induce neuroplastic changes and support recovery. Promising results in various neurological populations have been observed, but in stroke, the efficacy of CN-NINM at improving arm motor recovery and brain plasticity is yet to be determined. This is what the present project intends to address, using a stratified randomized controlled trial, where participants in the chronic phase of a stroke will take part in a 4-week individualized training program of their affected UL in combination with real or sham CN-NINM. Before and after the intervention, participants will undergo clinical and neurophysiological evaluations to thoroughly evaluate CN-NINM-induced changes in UL motor function and associated neuroplastic changes. The proposed study will allow an in-depth evaluation of the effects of CN-NINM for an eventual implementation in clinics and at home to support optimal post-stroke recovery.Read full original descriptionShow less
Can Stimulating the Tongue Help Improve Upper Limb Motor Function and Brain Plasticity in Individuals at the Chronic Stage of a Stroke: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Following a stroke, persistent residual muscle weakness in the upper limb (UL) drastically impacts the individuals' quality of life and level of independence. Training interventions are recommended to promote UL motor recovery, and recent studies have shown that training must be tailored to each individual's recovery potential to maximise training gains. Complementary to training interventions, non-invasive brain stimulation devices (NIBS) can help support the provision of post-stroke care by modulating brain excitability and enhancing recovery. Among NIBS, cranial nerve non-invasive neuromodulation (CN-NINM) is gaining increasing attention in rehabilitation since it can directly and non-invasively stimulate the tongue's cranial nerves. The impulses generated can then reach the motor cortex, induce neuroplastic changes and support recovery. Promising results in various neurological populations have been observed, but in stroke, the efficacy of CN-NINM at improving arm motor recovery and brain plasticity is yet to be determined. This is what the present project intends to address, using a stratified randomized controlled trial, where participants in the chronic phase of a stroke will take part in a 4-week individualized training program of their affected UL in combination with real or sham CN-NINM. Before and after the intervention, participants will undergo clinical and neurophysiological evaluations to thoroughly evaluate CN-NINM-induced changes in UL motor function and associated neuroplastic changes. The proposed study will allow an in-depth evaluation of the effects of CN-NINM for an eventual implementation in clinics and at home to support optimal post-stroke recovery.
Inclusion: be ≥18 years of age; have had a unilateral supratentorial stroke; be in a chronic stage of recovery (>6 months); present some UL motor recovery (Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment [FMA-UE] score ≥25/66); are not involved in rehabilitation treatments.
Exclusion: a neurological disorder other than stroke-related; cognitive impairment (score <2/5 on the Mini-Cog); significant spasticity at UL (score >3 on the modified Ashworth scale); major sensory deficit at UL (a score <25/34 on the Nottingham sensory assessment and a score <6 on the vibration threshold assessment); hemineglect (> 70% of unshaded lines on the same side as the motor deficit on the Line Cancellation test); apraxia (score >2.5 on the Alexander test); orthopedic problems at UL; significant pain intensity at UL (a score ≥ 6/10 on the Visual Analog Pain Scale); absence of MEP (peak-to-peak MEP amplitude <20μV); contraindications to CN-NINM and TMS.