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A Study to Measure the Effect of Brain Stimulation on Hand Strength and Function in Patients With Brain Tumors

The Effect of Intraoperative Cortical Stimulation on Hand Strength and Function During Awake Craniotomies

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05023434
Enrollment
20
Registered
2021-08-26
Start date
2023-04-17
Completion date
2028-12-01
Last updated
2026-05-11

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

Conditions

Brain Cancer, Brain Tumor, Motor Cortex; Lesion

Keywords

Brain Stimulation, Cortex Stimulation, Hand Motor Cortex, Primary Motor Cortex, M1, Resection, Surgery, Healthy Volunteers, Hand Strength, Hand Function

Brief summary

The neurosurgical standard of care for treating a patient with a tumor invading hand primary motor cortex (M1) includes performing a craniotomy with intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) mapping and to resect as much tumor as possible without a resultant permanent neurological deficit. However, the subjective nature of current intraoperative hand motor assessments do not offer a comprehensive understanding of how hand strength and function may be impacted by resection. Additionally, there is a paucity of data to inform how altering DES parameters may effect motor mapping. Here, the investigators seek to demonstrate a feasible, standardized protocol to quantitatively assess hand strength and function and systematically assess several stimulation parameters to improve intraoperative measurements and better understand how cortical stimulation interacts with underlying neural function.

Interventions

PROCEDUREIntraoperative Brain Simulation - Alternate Stimulation Parameters

Additional stimulation parameters outside of standard of care during intraoperative brain stimulation to aid in motor mapping.

Sponsors

Medical College of Wisconsin
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DEVICE_FEASIBILITY
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

AWAKE CRANIOTOMY COHORT Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 - 75 2. Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it 3. Radiographic evidence of tumor on MRI (i.e. non-enhancing) invading primary motor cortex in the non-dominant hemisphere. 4. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥ 70 5. Normal or near normal motor strength (i.e., at least 3/5 in relevant areas) 6. Normal or near normal speech (Can consistently name at least 4/5 cards) 7. Free of other illness, in the judgment of the investigator, that may shorten life expectancy 8. Willing and able to participate in all aspects of the study

Exclusion criteria

1. Presence of other malignancy not in remission 2. Evidence of bi-hemispheric or widespread tumor involvement 3. Medically high-risk surgical candidate 4. History of recent scalp or systemic infection 5. Presence of other implants or foreign bodies in the head 6. Inability to receive an MRI for any reason 7. Inability to receive cortical stimulation for any reason 8. Presence of implanted cardiac device (such as a pacemaker or defibrillator)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Identify DES parameters that lead to either interruption or facilitation of hand movement during awake craniotomiesIntra-opThe categorization of stimulation frequencies (10, 30, 60, 130, and 250 Hz) as either inhibitory, facilitatory, or neutral, based on their impact on the finger individualization score.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTSarah Cornell
scornell@mcw.edu414-955-0989

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 12, 2026