CVA stroke
Conditions
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Only people over 18 years old in the chronic phase after experiencing a supratentorial unilateral stroke (> 6 months in the past) that resulted in hemi pareses will be recruited for this study. Furthermore, healthy controls of similar age and with a similar male:female ratio will be enrolled in the study and 10 healthy young controls (18 - 30 year) are included for the tDCS sessions only.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: • Serious head trauma or head, neck or shoulder surgery in the past • Large or ferromagnetic metal parts in the upper body (except for dental fillings and wire) • Implanted cardiac pacemaker or neurostimulator (too close to the head) or Venous Access Port • Pregnancy • Skin diseases at intended electrode sites (tDCS or EMG electrodes) • Any prescribed medication that can alter cortical excitability (e.g. anti epileptics, tricyclic anti-depressives or benzodiazepines) within two weeks prior to participation. • Participated in a TMS or tCS study less than 1 year ago. • Suffering from claustrophobia • Suffering from epilepsy • Irremovable piercing or medical patch • Any neurological or orthopaedic disorder (other than stroke) that may interfere with the MRI outcomes of interest and/or with the performance on the movement tasks • Disorders of hearing, which cannot be corrected to normal. • Medication negatively affecting balance or reaction times (e.g. neuroleptics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, sedatives) • Severe cognitive impairment (mini mental state examination (MMSE)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Influence of tDCS (anodal, cathodal and sham) and group differences on: - muscle onsets of the primovers measured by EMG in lower extremity movements - quality of balance responses (leg angle of the step leg) Influence on the effect of tDCS by: - MRI based measures (DTI) of structural integrity of the corticoreticular pathway and the corticospinal tract | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| - Influence of tDCS (anodal, cathodal and sham) on muscle amplitudes of the prime movers measured by EMG in lower extremity movements - Relation between the effecs of tDCS and functional (step onset) and clinical outcomes - Other MRI related outcomes, as functional connectivity in relation to the effects of tDCS on the lower extremity movments | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed