Electroacupuncture and rTMS for Post-Stroke Motor Recovery

Launched by JING TAO · Aug 3, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new way to help people recover movement after a stroke. It looks at whether combining two treatments—repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain, and Electroacupuncture (EA), which involves gentle electrical stimulation through acupuncture needles—can improve motor function better than rTMS with a fake (sham) version of electroacupuncture.

People who might join this study are adults aged 40 to 75 who have had their first stroke affecting one side of the brain and causing movement problems. Their stroke should have happened between two weeks and six months ago, and they need to be right-handed and able to follow instructions. Participants will receive either real or sham electroacupuncture along with rTMS and will be monitored using tests and brain scans to see how well they recover and how their brains change. The study is not yet recruiting, and certain conditions like epilepsy, severe mental health issues, or other medical problems might exclude someone from joining.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Diagnosed with stroke confirmed by neuroimaging (CT/MRI).
• • First-ever stroke, unilateral hemispheric lesion, related to motor dysfunction.
• • Age between 40 and 75 years.
• • Duration from stroke onset between 2 weeks and 6 months.
• • Brunnstrom stage II-IV.
• • Right-handed.
• • Able to understand instructions and voluntarily provide written informed consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of epilepsy or familial epilepsy.
• • Motor dysfunction due to non-vascular causes (e.g., tumor, trauma).
• • Severe aphasia or cognitive impairment (MoCA \< 18).
• • Severe systemic complications (e.g., severe organ dysfunction, deep vein thrombosis).
• • Presence of metallic implants or contraindications for MRI.
• • Severe anxiety (HAMA \> 7) or depression (HAMD \> 8).
• • Severe spasticity (modified Ashworth ≥ 2).
• • Fear or intolerance of TMS or electroacupuncture.
• • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or concurrent participation in other clinical trials affecting outcomes.