Ignite Creation Date:
2025-12-25 @ 2:44 AM
Ignite Modification Date:
2025-12-30 @ 6:51 PM
Study NCT ID:
NCT02288533
Status:
COMPLETED
Last Update Posted:
2017-02-03
First Post:
2014-01-16
Is Gene Therapy:
True
Has Adverse Events:
False
Brief Title:
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Effects in Patients With Chronic Consciousness Disorders
Sponsor:
University Hospital of Ferrara
Organization:
Study Overview
Official Title:
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Effects in Patients With Chronic Consciousness Disorders
Status:
COMPLETED
Status Verified Date:
2017-02
Last Known Status:
None
Delayed Posting:
No
If Stopped, Why?:
Not Stopped
Has Expanded Access:
False
If Expanded Access, NCT#:
N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status:
N/A
Acronym:
None
Brief Summary:
Chronic consciousness disorders have high level of impact on public health and its costs.
Detailed Description:
Consciousness disorders have high impact on society and national health system. One of these disorders is vegetative condition in which, as in coma, there isn't any self or environmental consciousness but there is alertness, whereas in minimal state of consciousness at least part of awareness is conserved.
In Emilia Romagna region about 80 people per million of inhabitants are hospitalized after cerebral damage, and after discharge about 1/5 of patients are stabilized in a consciousness disorder.
The diagnosis of these disorders is based on neurobehavioural tests, for example JFK Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRS-R).
In these patients recovery of state of consciousness is one of the main challenges. There are very little evidences about treatment, it has been proposed the use of therapies that could modulate central nervous system activity, like specific drugs, neuroimaging and neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and repetitive transcranial current stimulation.
A non invasive neuromodulation technique is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) which can modulate cortical excitability: cathodic current reduces excitability whereas anodic current increases it.
In conclusion, tDCS is an easy technique to use, it's not invasive and it's an efficient tool for the modulation of cortical excitability that demonstrated reliable results in healthy subjects.
As the tDCS can modulate cortical excitability it is likely that the combination of this stimulation tool with transcranial magnetic stimulation for the registration of cortical excitability could give important information about cerebral damage in patients with consciousness disorders and to test new treatments. It is also likely that the modification of cortical excitability could induce neurobehavioural changes.
In Emilia Romagna region about 80 people per million of inhabitants are hospitalized after cerebral damage, and after discharge about 1/5 of patients are stabilized in a consciousness disorder.
The diagnosis of these disorders is based on neurobehavioural tests, for example JFK Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRS-R).
In these patients recovery of state of consciousness is one of the main challenges. There are very little evidences about treatment, it has been proposed the use of therapies that could modulate central nervous system activity, like specific drugs, neuroimaging and neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and repetitive transcranial current stimulation.
A non invasive neuromodulation technique is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) which can modulate cortical excitability: cathodic current reduces excitability whereas anodic current increases it.
In conclusion, tDCS is an easy technique to use, it's not invasive and it's an efficient tool for the modulation of cortical excitability that demonstrated reliable results in healthy subjects.
As the tDCS can modulate cortical excitability it is likely that the combination of this stimulation tool with transcranial magnetic stimulation for the registration of cortical excitability could give important information about cerebral damage in patients with consciousness disorders and to test new treatments. It is also likely that the modification of cortical excitability could induce neurobehavioural changes.
Study Oversight
Has Oversight DMC:
True
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?:
None
Is a FDA Regulated Device?:
None
Is an Unapproved Device?:
None
Is a PPSD?:
None
Is a US Export?:
None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?: