Magnetic Stimulation of the Human Nervous System

Completed

Conditions studied: Demyelinating Disease, Healthy, Lysosomal Storage Disease, Motor Neuron Disease, Movement Disorder

In brief

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique to gather information about brain function. It is very useful when studying the areas of the brain related to motor activity (motor cortex, corticospinal tract, spinal cord and nerve roots). The procedure is conducted by transmitting a magnetic signal into the brain to stimulate an area of the body. Electrodes (small pieces of metal taped to areas of the body) are used in order to measure electrical activity. A magnetic signal is sent from a metal instrument held close to the patient's head, to an area of the brain responsible for motor activity of a certain area of the body. The electrodes pick up and record the electrical activity in the muscles. This study will employ the use of TMS to diagnose neurological disorders that affect the motor cortex or the corticospinal tract. Normal subjects are sometimes studied to investigate normal activity of the nervous system and to train doctors in clinical neurophysiology and electrodiagnostic medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00001780

Run by

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

People needed

450

Starts

1998-02-01

Expected to finish

2005-11-01

Last updated by the study team

2008-03-04

Who can join

Age: any. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adult patients with weakness or motor dysfunction.
• Children and adolescents with corticospinal tract signs.
• Normal volunteers, adults.
• Normal volunteers, children aged 4-17.

You may not qualify if…

• Pregnant women.
• Subjects with implanted devices: pacemakers, medication pumps or defibrillators.
• Subjects with metal in the cranium except the mouth.
• Subjects with intracardiac lines.
• Normal subjects with history of seizures.

Where it is running

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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