Dual-site Cross-frequency Coupled Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Modulates Working Memory of Patients With Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07573501

Enrollment

Registered

2026-05-07

Start date

2026-05-01

Completion date

2027-05-01

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

Stroke, Cognition Disorders

Brief summary

This clinical trial aims to explore the effect of dual-site theta-gamma cross-frequency coupled transcranial alternating current stimulation in the frontal and parietal region on the working memory ability of patients with cognitive impairment after stroke, and to evaluate the safety of this protocol. The main purpose is to answer the following question: Can dual-site cross-frequency coupled tACS in the frontal parietal region improve the performance of working memory and cognitive-motor dual tasks in stroke patients? What is its mechanism of action? Researchers will compare the effects of real cross-frequency coupled stimuli and sham stimuli to see if the real stimuli can bring better results to patients. Participants will receive 40 minutes of real or sham electrical stimulation once a day for 5 consecutive days. Clinical evaluations (cognitive scales) and fNIRS were conducted respectively before and after stimulation to record the relevant brain activities at rest and during cognitive tasks

Interventions

BEHAVIORALoccupational therapy

occupational therapy (especially cognitive therapy) 40min a day for 5 days

OTHERreal tACS

real theta-gamma CFC tACS for 40min a day for 5 days during cognitive therapy

OTHERsham tACS

sham theta-gamma CFC tACS for 40min a day for 5 days during cognitive therapy

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

30 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Meeting the diagnostic criteria for hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke in the Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases(2nd edition), with the first onset, single hemisphere stroke, and confirmed by CT or MRI,course of diease 1-6 months; * Age ranging from 30 to 80 years old; * Native language is Mandarin or Cantonese; * Right-handed; * Diagnosed with PSCI by the MoCA scale; * Able to cooperate in completing the speech repetition test; * Normal hearing.

Exclusion criteria

* Currently receiving non-invasive brain stimulation treatment; * Lesions involving the left DLPFC brain regions; * History of epilepsy, mental illness,or other neurological or mental disorders; * Any contraindications for transcranial electrical stimulation.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
n-back task accuracy rate	Baseline and 5-days	n-back task record accuracy rate
n-back task reaction time	Baseline and 5-days	n-back task record reaction time
function connectivity during n-back task	Baseline and 5-days	n-back task with fNIRS to record Oxy-Hb Concentration
Verbal fluency test（VFT）accuracy rate	Baseline and 5-days	VFT task record accuracy rate
Verbal fluency test（VFT）reaction time	Baseline and 5-days	VFT task record reaction time
function connectivity during Verbal fluency test（VFT）	Baseline and 5-days	VFT task with fNIRS to record Oxy-Hb Concentration

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)	Baseline and 5-days	MoCA scale(score 0-30, the higher score means the better function)

Countries

China

Contacts

CONTACTJingting Li

lijt53@mail.sysu.edu.cn+86 13560365827

CONTACTHanjun Liu

lhanjun@mail.sysu.edu.cn+86 15920175118

Outcome results

None listed

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