Transcranial Electrical Polarization to Treat Focal Hand Dystonia

Completed · Phase 2

Conditions studied: Dystonia, Focal Hand Dystonia, FHD

In brief

This study will evaluate the effect of transcranial electrical polarization (TEP), also called direct current (DC) stimulation, on focal hand dystonia in people with writer's cramp. In dystonia, muscle spasms cause uncontrolled twisting and repetitive movement or abnormal postures. Focal dystonia involves just one part of the body, such as the hand, neck or face. When people with focal hand dystonia make small and repeated movements with their hands, there is extra activity in the part of the brain called the motor cortex. TEP is a method of brain stimulation that slows down the activity of the nerve cells in the motor cortex. This study may help researchers develop new ways to treat focal hand dystonia. People 18 years of age and older with focal hand dystonia may be eligible for this study. Participants have a neurological examination and are randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: TEP or placebo stimulation. The TEP group receives stimulation to the parts of the brain used for hand movement, and the placebo group receives sham stimulation, which does not affect any area of the brain. There are three TEP/placebo sessions over a period of 7 to 10 days. The first session may last up to 2-1/2 hours; the other two sessions last 1-2 hours. For TEP, sponge electrodes are placed on the scalp and an electrical current is passed through the scalp and skull to the outer part of brain. Before and after each session, participants have a neurological examination, including an evaluation of the rate and severity of their movement problems. For this assessment, participants do a writing test while the electrical activity of their hand muscles is recorded using surface electromyography (EMG). For EMG, small metal disks (electrodes) filled with a conductive gel are taped to the skin over the muscles being tested. Patients are followed in the clinic the day after the end of TEP treatment for evaluation of their movement abilities and the effects of therapy, such as improvement of handwriting.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT00106782
Run by: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
People needed: 12
Starts: 2005-03-18
Expected to finish: 2010-05-14
Last updated by the study team: 2017-07-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may not qualify if…

Exclusion criteria will include the standard exclusions for TEP as well as exclusions specific to this study.
We will exclude subjects with:
Any significant medical or psychiatric illness (other than FHD).
Patients with a positive pregnancy test will be excluded because the effects of TEP on the fetus is unknown. A urine sample for pregnancy testing will be obtained prior to the TEP, and on the day of the first TEP session.
History of epilepsy.
Concurrent use of neuroleptic agents.
Any other licit or illicit drugs other that could lower the seizure threshold.
Metal implants.
Who have received botulinum toxin injection within 10 weeks of starting the protocol.
Secondary hand dystonia.
Mentally impaired patients having no capacity to provide their own consent will be excluded from the study because such patients may have difficulty performing the required test.
If participation in the study would, in the opinion of the investigators, cause undue risk or stress for reasons such as excessive fatigue, general frailty, or excessive apprehension.
Unable or unwilling to refrain from alcohol for 24 hours prior to study days.
Patients may continue taking muscle relaxants, artane and other anticholinergic drugs, L-DOPA and dopamine agonists.

Where it is running

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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