Brain stimulation with virtual reality for balance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
Tests gentle brain stimulation plus virtual reality training in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Riphah International University
- Where
- Islamabad, PakistanSee the 2 sites
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Virtual Reality on Balance and Executive Functions in Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 42 people, planned
- Started
- 15 Sept 2026
- Planned end
- 28 Oct 2026
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
- Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
- Virtual Reality Rehabilitation
- Conventional Physical Therapy
- Record updated
- 21 September 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 children aged 8 to 16 with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, a type of cerebral palsy with stiff legs. It tests mild brain stimulation (tDCS) with virtual reality training for balance and thinking skills.
- Age
- 8 to 16 years
- Sex
- All sexes can join
- Disease stage
- Spastic diplegia. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-III. Mild to moderate leg stiffness: Modified Tardieu Scale score between 1 and 3 in at least one major leg muscle group. The child must understand and follow spoken instructions.
- Earlier treatment
- No Botulinum toxin injection within the previous 3 months. No current antispasticity medication that could affect stiffness results. No recent orthopedic surgery or medication change within the previous 5 days.
Main reasons for not taking part
- History of seizures or epilepsy
- Implanted metal or electronic devices, such as a pacemaker
- Severe cognitive impairment that prevents understanding the study tasks
- Skin allergies, sores or other skin problems where the electrodes go
- Taking part in other therapies outside the study
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 2 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia). Age 8-16 years. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-III. Presence of mild to moderate lower-limb spasticity, defined as a Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS) score between 1 and 3 in at least one major lower-limb muscle group, such as the gastrocnemius, hamstrings, or hip adductors. Able to understand and follow verbal instructions. Parent or guardian provides informed consent and the child provides assent
Who cannot take part
- History of seizures or epilepsy. Implanted metal or electronic devices, such as a pacemaker. Severe cognitive impairment that prevents comprehension of study tasks. Skin allergies, lesions, or other conditions affecting the electrode application sites. Current use of antispasticity medication that could directly influence spasticity outcomes. Botulinum toxin injection within the previous 3 months. Recent orthopedic surgery or change in medication regimen within the previous 5 days. Concurrent participation in alternative or adjunct therapies outside the study protocol. Refusal to participate or withdrawal of consent/assent
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 8 and 16 years old?
Where in Pakistan
- Al-Farabi Special Education Centre for Physically HandicappedIslamabad, PakistanContact: hassan rauf, MS PEDIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPYTaking people
- Sedum School of RehabilitationIslamabad, PakistanContact: hassan rauf, MS PEDIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPYTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy commonly experience difficulties with balance and may also have challenges involving attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that may influence motor-cortical excitability, while virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation provides repetitive, interactive, and task-oriented training.
Read full original descriptionShow less
This randomized controlled trial will investigate whether active tDCS combined with VR rehabilitation improves balance and executive functions more than sham tDCS combined with the same VR rehabilitation or conventional physical therapy in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
A total of 42 children aged 8 to 16 years with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-III will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to active tDCS plus VR, sham tDCS plus VR, or conventional physical therapy. Participants will complete 18 treatment sessions over six weeks, with three sessions per week.
Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after nine treatment sessions, and after 18 treatment sessions. Balance will be evaluated using the Pediatric Balance Scale and Functional Reach Test. Executive functions will be assessed using the Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, and Digit Span. Lower-limb spasticity will be evaluated using the Modified Tardieu Scale.
The 3 groups in the trial
- Active tDCS + Virtual RealityTreatment being tested
participants will receive active transcranial direct current stimulation at 1 mA for 20 minutes combined with virtual reality rehabilitation, three sessions per week for six weeks, for a total of 18 sessions.
Treatment: Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Virtual Reality Rehabilitation
- Sham tDCS + Virtual RealitySham treatment, for comparison
Participants will receive sham transcranial direct current stimulation using the same electrode setup as the active condition, with brief initial stimulation to mimic active tDCS, combined with the same virtual reality rehabilitation protocol, three sessions per week for six weeks, for a total of 18 sessions.
Treatment: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Virtual Reality Rehabilitation
- Conventional Physical TherapyExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants will receive conventional physical therapy including lower-limb stretching, strengthening, balance training, motor-control exercises, gait-related training, and functional mobility activities, three sessions per week for six weeks.
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?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Addition to Virtual Reality on Balance and Executive Functions in Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Plain-language title
- Brain stimulation with virtual reality for balance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsyGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07829770, who can take part
- Record updated
- 21 September 2026