NCT07400939Recruiting
Brain Stimulation Combined With Watching Hand Movements to Improve Hand Recovery in Chronic Stroke
Investigating The Neurophysiological Mechanisms Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Action Observation Therapy On Hand Muscle Neuroplasticity in Chronic Stroke
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 12 May 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This study investigates the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the combined use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and action observation therapy (AOT) for hand motor recovery in individuals with stroke. Background: While both tDCS and AOT have shown promise individually for stroke rehabilitation, the neural mechanisms of their combined effects remain unclear. Understanding these mechanisms could optimise rehabilitation protocols and improve functional outcomes. Intervention: Participants will receive 10 sessions of anodal tDCS over the ipsilesional motor cortex combined with AOT over two weeks in a clinical setting, followed by 8 weeks of home-based AOT practice. Control groups will receive tDCS alone or AOT alone. Neurophysiological changes will be assessed using motor evoked potentials (MEPs) to evaluate corticospinal excitability. Clinical hand function will be assessed using standardised outcome measures. Measurements: Assessments will be conducted at baseline, during intervention (week 2), and after the home practice phase (week 10) to evaluate neuroplastic changes. Significance: This study will provide mechanistic insights into how neuromodulation and observational learning interact to promote motor recovery, informing evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for stroke survivors in Malaysia and globally. Study Design: Randomised controlled trial with three parallel arms, recruiting 60 participants with chronic stroke from Sabah, Malaysia.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 60 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 28 Jan 2026
- Start date
- 1 Apr 2026
- Primary completion date
- 20 Jan 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Universiti Malaysia Sabah
- Diseases
- Stroke
- NCT number
- NCT07400939
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 60
- From 1 Apr 2026 to the primary completion date, 20 Jan 2027
- 2 sites 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
- Other existing neurological disorders that lead to poor hand function
Other
- Patients diagnosed with posterior circulation infarction
- Unable to follow commands due to poor cognitive function
- Unilateral neglect
- Homonymous hemianopia
- Grade four or five hand muscle strength.
Who the study is looking for
- Adults aged 18 to 59 years
- Single episode of unilateral stroke and weakness in hand muscles 6 to 24 months post-stroke
- No excessive spasticity of the upper limb, defined as grade two or less on Modified Ashworth Scale
Age in the registry: 18 years to 59 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (2)
Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Elizabeth Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Kota Kinabalu | Malaysia | Enrolling by invitation |
| Hospital Universiti Malaysia Sabah (HUMS) Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Kota Kinabalu | Malaysia | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.