Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Dysphagia Therapy in Acute Stroke Patients

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01970384

Enrollment

Registered

2013-10-28

Start date

2012-06-30

Completion date

2014-12-31

Last updated

2015-10-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dysphagia, Stroke

Keywords

transcranial direct current stimulation, stroke-related dysphagia, cortical plasticity

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether transcranial direct current stimulation of the cerebral swallow motor cortex in addition to standard care can enhance recovery of swallow function in acute dysphagic stroke patients compared to sham treatment plus standard care.

Interventions

DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation

20 Minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation (20 min, 1 mA) administered over the contralesional cortical swallow motor area once daily over 4 consecutive days. In case of a brainstem stroke stimulation will be applied over the cortical swallow motor area of the right hemisphere.

DEVICESham stimulation

20 Minutes of sham transcranial direct current stimulation (20 min, no current applied) administered over the contralesional cortical swallow motor area once daily over 4 consecutive days. In case of a brainstem stroke sham stimulation will be applied over the cortical swallow motor area of the right hemisphere.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 90 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

\- dysphagia due to acute stroke

Exclusion criteria

* preexisting dysphagia * comorbidities that can possibly cause dysphagia * psychiatric comorbidities * pacemaker or other implanted electronic devices * inability to give informed consent

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
FEDSS (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Dysphagia Severity Scale) Score	Within three days after the last stimulation session

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Diet at discharge	by the time of discharge, an expected average of 2 weeks after the last stimulation session	—
Dysphagia Severity Rating Score	within three days after the last stimulation session	—
Endoscopically assessed swallow function	within three days after the last stimulation session	Improvement of salient endoscopic findings

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026