Impact of rTMS on BCI Control in Upper Limb Motor Rehabilitation of Patients With Chronic Stroke

Launched by INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTÉ ET DE LA RECHERCHE MÉDICALE, FRANCE · Apr 22, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the effects of a treatment called repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to improve upper limb movement in patients who have had a stroke more than six months ago. The goal is to see if rTMS can help these patients better control a brain-computer interface (BCI), which is a device that translates brain signals into movements. This could potentially lead to improved rehabilitation outcomes for those struggling with upper limb motor skills after a stroke.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must be between 18 and 85 years old, be right-handed, and have experienced a stroke with noticeable difficulty moving their fingers. They should also be able to give their written consent. Participants can expect to undergo various sessions involving rTMS and cognitive tasks aimed at enhancing their ability to use the BCI. The trial is not yet recruiting, but it aims to better understand how different stimulation techniques can help improve recovery in stroke patients with motor impairments.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Single Stroke older than 6 months
• • Distal motor deficit of the upper limb (UE-FMA score \< 53) with visible extension of the fingers (Medical Research Council (mRC) score ≥ 2)
• • Right-handed
• • Between 18 and 85 years of age
• • Having given their written consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patient under tutorship or guardianship, under safeguard of justice, deprived of liberty, pregnant or breast feeding women
• • Life-threatening pathologies or compromising follow-up during the study period
• • Trouble of understanding : score below 12/15 in the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) order execution test
• • Fixed spasticity of finger or carpal flexors (mAS score = 4) or botulinum toxin injection less than 12 weeks old in the forearm or hand
• • History of degenarative neurological pathology or craniectomy
• • Deficient upper limb skin lesion preventing use of mucle stimulation
• • Skin lesion of the scalp preventing EEG placement
• • Participation in biomedical therapeutic research that may affect the recovery of the deficient hand during the study
• • Patient who has previously participated in a therapeutic study rTMS (excluding single shock) or a BCI
• • Patient who does not wish to be informed of a brain abnormality discovered accidentally on MRI