Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) in Patients With Ataxia

Interventional Cross-over Study to Evaluate the Efficacy on Motor and Cognitive Performance of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) in Patients With Neurodegenerative Ataxia

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05621200

Acronym

SCAtACS

Enrollment

Registered

2022-11-17

Start date

2021-01-28

Completion date

2022-12-10

Last updated

2022-12-27

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

Conditions

Ataxia, Ataxia With Oculomotor Apraxia, CANVAS, Multiple System Atrophy, Spinocerebellar Ataxias

Keywords

transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial alternate current stimulation, spinocerebellar ataxia, cerebellar ataxia

Brief summary

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects on motor and cognitive performance of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) compared to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and placebo stimulation (sham) in patients with neurodegenerative ataxia to identify a possible rehabilitation protocol.

Interventions

DEVICETranscranial stimulation over the cerebellar hemispheres

Single session of Transcranial stimulation over the cerebellar hemispheres

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with a cerebellar syndrome and quantifiable cerebellar atrophy

Exclusion criteria

* Severe head trauma in the past * History of seizures * History of ischemic stroke or hemorrhage * Pacemaker * Metal implants in the head/neck region * Severe comorbidity * Intake of illegal drugs * Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) Score From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS): semi-quantitative 100-point scale, yielding a total score of 0 (no ataxia) to 100 (most severe ataxia).
Change in the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) Score From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA): 8-item performance based scale, yielding a total score of 0 (no ataxia) to 40 (most severe ataxia).

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Cerebellar Brain Inhibition (CBI) Measurements From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	Cerebellar brain inhibition (CBI) is expressed as motor evoked potential amplitude (average of 10 recordings). Lower values reflect higher inhibition and thus reduced impairment.
Change in Timed Up and Go Test Duration From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	Time (in seconds) that a person takes to rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn around 180 degrees, walk back to the chair, and sit down while turning 180 degrees, assessed with gait sensors.
Change in Walking Cadence From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	Average Left and Right Steps/Minute during a 60 seconds walk, assessed with gait sensors.
Change in 360° Turn From Baseline	Baseline (immediately before the intervention) - Immediately after the intervention	Velocity (Number of Degrees/sec) in making a 360° turn, assessed with gait sensors

Countries

Italy

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 11, 2026