Small Vessel Disease and Cerebral Infarct Healing InErvation Via Limb Distant Adaptation
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Medical-grade ischemic preconditioning training instrument, Standard Treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Stroke, Small Vessel Cerebrovascular Disease. Basic parameters: 50 years — 65 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- China
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
the Role and Mechanism of Distant Ischemic Adaptation in Improving Cognitive Impairment in Cerebral Infarction and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Overview
Cerebral infarction (ischemic stroke) and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) represent major global causes of disability, cognitive decline, and mortality. Despite advances in reperfusion therapies, many patients experience residual neurological deficits and remain at high risk for recurrent stroke and vascular dementia. Effective adjunctive treatments that are safe, accessible, and capable of improving long-term outcomes are urgently needed. Distant ischemic adaptation (also known as remote ischemic conditioning, RIC) is a non-invasive, safe, and cost-effective intervention that induces endogenous protection against ischemic injury by applying brief, intermittent ischemia to a remote limb. While several large-scale clinical trials (e.g., RICAMIS, RECAST) have demonstrated promising neuroprotective effects of RIC in acute ischemic stroke, results remain inconsistent across studies, particularly in patients with CSVD. Key challenges include the lack of standardized RIC protocols and the absence of specific biomarkers to predict treatment response and elucidate underlying mechanisms. To address these gaps, this study aims to identify potential effector proteins and specific biomarkers that mediate the therapeutic effects of RIC in patients with cerebral infarction and CSVD. By collecting and analyzing serum samples from RIC-treated patients and controls, we seek to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying RIC-induced neuroprotection and cognitive preservation. The findings may establish a theoretical foundation for optimizing RIC therapy, provide novel drug targets, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients suffering from ischemic stroke and small vessel disease.
Interventions
- Device Medical-grade ischemic preconditioning training instrument
The remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) intervention consists of two sessions per day, with 5 cycles per session (each cycle comprising 5 minutes of inflation followed by 5 minutes of deflation), performed alternately on both upper arms. The inflation pressure is set at baseline systolic blood pressure + 20 mmHg, gradually increased up to a maximum of 200 mmHg. If the patient experiences discomfort, the pressure may be appropriately reduced to allow adaptation, then gradually increased again. At - Other Standard Treatment
Standard Treatment
Primary outcome measures
- Change in White Matter Hyperintensity (WMH) Volume on Brain MRI [Time frame: Baseline, Month 3]
- Change in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) Score [Time frame: Baseline, Month 1, Month 3]
- Change in Cognitive Function (MoCA and MMSE Scores) [Time frame: Baseline, Month 1, Month 3]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Serum Levels of Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Biomarkers [Time frame: Baseline, Month 1, Month 3]
- Incidence of Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) [Time frame: Throughout the 3-month intervention period]
- Compliance Rate with RIC Intervention [Time frame: Throughout the 3-month intervention period]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Aged between 50 and 65 years.
- Definite diagnosis of cerebral infarction or cerebral small vessel disease-related cerebral infarction confirmed by brain MRI or other imaging examinations.
- Ability to complete the 3-month follow-up and RIC intervention (for the experimental group).
- Few underlying comorbidities, limited to hypertension and hyperlipidemia; clear consciousness with the ability to provide informed consent.
- Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score < 2, with no severe cognitive impairment as assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
- Enrolled within 48 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms (i.e., from the time the patient was last known to be well, during the acute phase).
Exclusion criteria
- Complicated with diabetes mellitus, smoking history, or other metabolic disorders.
- Complicated with other types of stroke (e.g., cardioembolic stroke, large artery atherosclerotic stroke, etc.).
- Presence of severe cognitive impairment, depression, or other psychiatric or neurological disorders.
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
China · 1 center
- 2ndAffiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang Universit, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000 — Hangzhou
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07503301 · 2026-0150