NCT07085910Not yet recruiting
Hebbian-Type Associative Stimulation in Stroke Rehabilitation
Modulating Interhemispheric Interactions Using Hebbian-Type Associative Stimulation to Promote Upper Extremity Motor Recovery Following Stroke
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 25 Jul 2025 · Not updated for over 12 months - ask the site whether it is still open
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Stroke remains the primary cause of long-term neurological disabilities. Effective rehabilitation solutions are essential to alleviate the burden poststroke survivors impose on hospitals and community services. Following unilateral stroke, interhemispheric balance is disrupted. Prior studies have extensively documented that exaggerated interhemispheric inhibitory flow from the contralesional to the ipsilesional hemisphere prevents maximal functional recovery in poststroke survivors. Therefore, we aimed to test the modulatory effects of a Hebbian-type plasticity induction paradigm using corticocortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) over the bilateral motor cortex. This approach aims to reverse the abnormal inhibitory flow from the contralesional to the ipsilesional hemisphere and assess its clinical benefits on upper extremity motor recovery in patients with stroke. In this randomized controlled trial, we hypothesize that Hebbian-type ccPAS would be more effective than sham ccPAS and conventional single-site inhibitory rTMS delivered to the contralesional hemisphere at improving hemiplegic upper limb motor functionality and modulating interhemispheric activity to an equilibrium state among patients with stroke. This approach seeks to address diseases related to brain network impairments, such as stroke. This project will provide insights into the recovery mechanisms activated following neurological diseases from the perspective of the Hebbian learning rules of associative plasticity.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 108 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 17 Jul 2025
- Start date
- 1 Jan 2026
- Primary completion date
- 30 Jul 2028
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Diseases
- Stroke
- NCT number
- NCT07085910
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 108
- From 1 Jan 2026 to the primary completion date, 30 Jul 2028
- No sites listed in no 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.
Prior treatment
- Diagnosis of any concomitant neurological diseases other than stroke.
Other illness
- Signs of cognitive impairment, defined as a Montreal cognitive assessment Hong Kong version score \<21/22 out of 30 .
Other
- any contraindications for TMS (screened using the safety checklist by Rossi)
- Severe spasticity in the hemiparetic upper limb muscles, with a Modified Ashworth score \>2.
Who the study is looking for
- Diagnosis with monohemispheric ischemic subcortical stroke (with intact corpus callosum), with stroke onset ≥6 months,
- Age 40-75 years.
- Residual upper limb function between levels 3-6, according to the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE), indicating mildly to moderately impaired upper limb motor function.
- Capable of providing informed written consent.
Age in the registry: 40 years to 75 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.