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Clinical Trials/NCT07150169
NCT07150169Not yet recruitingNot Applicable

Individualized Magnetic Stimulation for Post-stroke Cognitive Recovery: Optimization, Validation & Efficacy

Jord Vink0 sites25 target enrollmentStarted: November 1, 2025Last updated:
Conditions
Interventions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Status
Not yet recruiting
Sponsor
Enrollment
25
Primary Endpoint
Change in n-back test performance

Study Overview

Brief Summary

Rationale: 75% of all stroke survivors suffer from cognitive deficits in the acute phase, with serious implications for their long-term quality of life and societal participation. A promising novel therapy is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Only a handful of studies have attempted to promote cognitive functioning after stroke with rTMS. These studies exclusively used a one-size-fits-all approach, which had limited success, as post-stroke cognitive deficits are highly variable. We propose a two-step personalized treatment strategy to identify targets for therapeutic TMS for cognitive rehabilitation after stroke. Step one consits of identification of personalized TMS targets by measuring fMRI activity during a representative cognitive task. In step two, TMS disruption is used to temporarily disrupt activity in the targeted brain region to investigate causal involvement of a brain area in cognitive task performance.

Objective: To validate a proof-of-concept to identify personalized targets for therapeutic TMS for cognitive rehabilitation after stroke.

Study design: A prospective mechanistic intervention study.

Study population: 10 healthy individuals and 15 stroke patients with cognitive impairment

Intervention: Active and sham TMS disruption of personalized targets

Main study endpoints: The n-back test

Study Design

Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover
Primary Purpose
Other
Masking
Single (Participant)

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • •Age ≥ 18 years;
  • •First-ever ischemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage in a cerebral hemisphere or the brainstem;
  • •Cognitive impairment based on assessment by the treating rehabilitation physician.
  • •Able to perform n-back task at inclusion.
  • •Inclusion possible within 10 weeks after stroke onset;
  • •Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

  • •Known cognitive impairment prior to stroke onset;
  • •Absolute contra-indication to TMS: Magnetic sensitive objects implanted in the head or neck area (e.g. cochlear implants, implanted neurostimulator, pacemaker or defibrillator, metal splinters, metal fragments or metal clips), history of epilepsy, pregnancy or other contra-indications that may potentially be harmful as determined by the treating rehabilitation physician;
  • •Incompetence or severe impairments that can impede study participation as determined by the treating rehabilitation physician (i.e. extreme fatigue, severe communication deficits);
  • •Life expectancy shorter than one year.

Arms & Interventions

Active TMS disruption

Experimental

Active TMS disruption delivered at 110% RMT

Intervention: Active TMS disruption (Device)

Sham TMS disruption

Sham Comparator

Active TMS disruption delivered at 20% RMT

Intervention: Sham TMS disruption (Device)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in n-back test performance

Time Frame: during TMS disruption

Secondary Outcomes

No secondary outcomes reported

Investigators

Sponsor
Jord Vink
Sponsor Class
Other
Responsible Party
Sponsor Investigator
Principal Investigator

Jord Vink

Principal investigator

UMC Utrecht

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