Cerebral Palsy
Conditions
Keywords
motor learning, cortical plasticity, direct current stimulation
Brief summary
In this study, the investigators aim to assess the clinical and neurophysiological effects of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique - transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)- on cortical plasticity and motor learning in children with cerebral palsy. Investigators will use different assessment techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and kinematics (sensors) to measure changes through the trial.
Interventions
DEVICETranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
Subjects will receive tDCS stimulation 1x per day for 5 days (over the period of 1 week). Each session will be 20 minutes long. The subject will receive active stimulation for the entire 20 minutes.
Sponsors
Pedal with Pete
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
8 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age of participants must be between 8 and 18 years old. * Diagnosis of spastic or mixed CP with distribution of diplegia and/or hemiplegia form. * Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy (GMFCS) level II and III. * Manual Ability Classification System for Children with CP (MACS) level II up to IV. * Ability to cooperate and follow directions.
Exclusion criteria
* Muscle tone reduction therapy in the past 3 months prior to study onset. * Upper limb orthopedic surgery in the past 3 months prior to study onset. * Any other form of therapy or procedure involving motor neuron junction inhibition; either by biochemical and/or mechanical denervation, in the past 3 months prior to study onset. * History of convulsive disorder in the past 2 years prior to study onset. * Current use of carbamazepine as anticonvulsive therapy. * Presence ventriculoperitoneal shunt.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in motor assessments | Approximately 2 weeks | Investigators will measure changes in kinematic (sensor) assessments from baseline to follow-up. The sensor will collect Inertial Measurements Units (IMU) and complex motion sensing, as measured by accelerometer/gyroscope/magnetometer of freedom motion capture. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in TMS measurements | Approximately 2 weeks | Investigators will measure change in TMS measurements from baseline to follow-up. TMS measures will consist of: motor threshold, motor evoked potentials (MEP's), transcallosal inhibition, and examinations of intracortical inhibition and facilitation. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed