tDCS and Spasticity in Stroke Patients

Official title

Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Spasticity In Stroke Patients

Overview

Multiple research has worked on tDCS and its impact on stroke. But none have studied the effects of tDCS on stroke in relation to the different stages of stroke like mild, moderate, moderate to severe and severe stroke as per national institute of health (NIH) scale. Additionally, this study will be conducted to address the few drawbacks in previous studies such as short follow up period by employing evidence based standardized protocols. It can potentially instigate the efficacy of tDCS on spasticity, motor recovery and Quality of life in relation to the different severity levels of stroke.

Detailed description

Multiple noninvasive brain stimulation is also introduced over the few years regarding their impact on spasticity, tDCS being the most common due to its effects on spasticity. There are multiple structural and functional changes in motor cortex post stroke, tDCS causes improvement in motor control by reorganizing the motor cortex. Anodal and cathodal tDCS are based on the current direction with cathodal decreasing excitability of the cortex area and anodal increasing it. Anodal tDCS is more effective in reducing spasticity as compared to cathodal. The change in cortical excitation alters the reflex arc i.e. altering the neurons and reducing their excitability which causes a decrease in tone and facilitates neuroplasticity.

Spasticity is often found along with weakness in stroke and is one of the reasons for impaired motor function, increased resistance to stretch and is due to increased excitability and abnormal regulation of spindle and reflex arc. With chronicity and reduced motor control spasticity also increases by 97 %. Spasticity and paresis lead to impaired motor control. Spasticity will not change recovery in function in early stages but is going to affect motor recovery in all stages. Spasticity disrupts motor function and the daily tasks which creates different levels of dependence in the patients hence effecting the QOL. Spasticity is found in almost 40% of individuals suffering from stroke. It affects joints and extremities in a way that impedes function and ADLs. Painful, restricted joints resulting from prolonged spasticity badly impacts the QOL leading to high burden on caregivers

Interventions

• Other tDCS
  Stimulation in each session will be applied for 20 min by two 5 × 4 cm (20 cm2) saline-soaked sponge electrodes at an intensity of 1.5 mA (0.075 mA/cm2). A gradual ramp up and down of stimulation for 10 s at the beginning and the end of stimulation
• Other Conventional
  ROM exercises for upper and lower extremities, Stretching of agonists, Strengthening of antagonists, Core stability exercises, Static and dynamic balance activities, Gait training, Functional training

Primary outcome measures

• Modified Ashworth Scale [Time frame: 8 week]
• Fugl Meyr Assessment [Time frame: 8 week]

Secondary outcome measures (1)

• SS-QoL [Time frame: 8 week]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Stroke for more than 6 months.
• Both genders.
• Spasticity score ≥1 at modified ashworth scale.
• National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for severity level; Mild (1-4), Moderate (5-15), Moderate to Severe (16-20), Severe (21-42)

Exclusion criteria

• Have any metallic implant including intracranial electrode, pacemaker, surgical clip.
• Any symptoms effecting understanding of instructions.
• Any neurological disorder

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Pakistan · 2 centers

• Pakistan Railway General Hospital — Rawalpindi
• Pakistan Railway Hospital — Rawalpindi

Publications

• Zeng H, Chen J, Guo Y, Tan S. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Spasticity After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Neurol. 2021 Jan 20;11:616097. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.616097. eCollection 2020. PMID 33551975
• Cheng H, Fang X, Liao L, Tao Y, Gao C. Prevalence and factors influencing the occurrence of spasticity in stroke patients: a retrospective study. Neurol Res. 2023 Feb;45(2):166-172. doi: 10.1080/01616412.2022.2127249. Epub 2022 Sep 25. PMID 36153827
• Lackritz H, Parmet Y, Frenkel-Toledo S, Banina MC, Soroker N, Solomon JM, Liebermann DG, Levin MF, Berman S. Effect of post-stroke spasticity on voluntary movement of the upper limb. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2021 May 13;18(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12984-021-00876-6. PMID 33985543
• Li S, Francisco GE, Rymer WZ. A New Definition of Poststroke Spasticity and the Interference of Spasticity With Motor Recovery From Acute to Chronic Stages. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2021 Jul;35(7):601-610. doi: 10.1177/15459683211011214. Epub 2021 May 12. PMID 33978513
• Wang X, Ge L, Hu H, Yan L, Li L. Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation on Post-Stroke Spasticity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Brain Sci. 2022 Jun 27;12(7):836. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12070836. PMID 35884643

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06598683 · REC02039 Aqsa Liaqat

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗