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Brain stimulation added to constraint therapy for arm recovery after stroke

Tests brain stimulation plus constraint therapy for arm movement in people after stroke.

Key facts

Who runs it
Universidade do Estado do Pará
Where
Belém, BrazilSee the 2 sites
Trial code
Registry title
tDCS Combined With Constraint-Induced Therapy in Post-Stroke Upper Limb Rehabilitation
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
40 people, planned
Started
15 Jun 2026
Expected to end
10 Apr 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
  • Constraint-induced movement therapy
Record updated
11 August 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults 40 to 80 years old who had a stroke more than six months ago and have mild to moderate weakness in one arm.

Age
40 to 80 years
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Stroke confirmed by imaging or a neurologist's report, in the chronic phase (more than six months ago). Weakness on one side with mainly the arm affected. Mild to moderate arm movement problem, with a score between 19 and 55 on the FMA-UE scale.
Earlier treatment
No botulinum toxin in the previous three months.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Epilepsy
  • Metal implants inside the skull or implanted electronic devices
  • Another stroke before (recurrent stroke)
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure or diabetes
  • Clinically relevant heart disease

The registry criteria, word for word

Show the criterionShow less

Who can take part

  • present a clinical diagnosis of stroke confirmed by imaging examination and/or report issued by a neurologist; - are in the chronic phase of the lesion with an occurrence time greater than six months; - hemiparesis with brachial predominance, mild to moderate motor deficit in the affected upper limb defined by a score between 19 and 55 points on the FMA-UE; - have minimum joint integrity to perform the movements required in the protocol with an active range of motion of at least 20° of wrist extension, 10° of extension of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints and 20° of elbow extension considering the standard position of 90° elbow flexion, measured with a Carci® goniometer; - demonstrate the ability to understand and follow simple commands on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (ANNEX II) with a score higher than 23 points for literate persons and lower than 15 points for illiterate persons

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 40 and 80 years old?

Where in Brazil

  • State University of Pará - Center for Biological and Health Sciences (UEPA)Belém, BrazilContact: Estefani Rodrigues Mestranda, Ensino superiorTaking people
  • UEAFTO - Unidade de Fisioterapia e Terapia OcupacionalBelém, BrazilContact: Estefani Rodrigues Mestranda, Ensino superiorTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with constraint-induced therapy (CIT) on upper limb motor recovery in individuals after stroke.

Read full original descriptionShow less

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the combination of tDCS and CIT improve upper limb motor function compared to CIT alone?

Does the combined intervention promote changes in muscle morphology and electromyographic activity?

Researchers will compare the group receiving tDCS combined with constraint-induced therapy to the group receiving constraint-induced therapy alone to determine whether the addition of cortical neuromodulation enhances motor recovery outcomes.

This is a randomized, controlled, and blinded clinical trial in which participants will be divided into two groups: one group will receive tDCS combined with CIMT, and the other will undergo only CIMT. The protocol will include 18 sessions over six weeks, three times a week.

Clinical and instrumental assessments will be performed before, during, and after the intervention, including the Fugl-Meyer scale for the upper limb, musculoskeletal ultrasound for morphological analysis, and surface electromyography for muscle activity assessment.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Transcranial direct current stimulation + Constraint-induced movement therapyTreatment being tested

    Treatment: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and Constraint-induced movement therapy

  • Constraint-induced movement therapyExisting treatment, for comparison

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Constraint-Induced Therapy on Upper Limb Motor Function in Individuals After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Plain-language title
Brain stimulation added to constraint therapy for arm recovery after strokeGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 13 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07458503, who can take part
Record updated
11 August 2026