Patients in Minimally Conscious State After a Severe Brain Injury Clinical Trial
Official title:
Repeated Stimulation of the Precuneus in Chronic Patients in Minimally Conscious State: a Placebo-controlled Randomized Clinical Trial
In this study researchers will apply transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for 5 consecutive days in chronic patients in minimally conscious state (MCS).
Positive effects of tDCS in patients in MCS was showed in a recent study published in
Neurology. But the effects went down after 1 or 2 hours. To increase the lasting of the
effects, a new study will evaluate the effects of tDCS on the precuneus cortex for 5
consecutive days in chronic patients in MCS.
2 sessions of 5 days of stimulation will be realized, one session will be real (anodal
stimulation) and one placebo (sham stimulation). After each stimulation, behavioral
improvement will be assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRS-R). A final
assessment will be done 5 days after the end of the sessions to assess the long term effect
of the tDCS.
Researchers expected to see an improvement of the CRS-R total score at the end of the anodal
session and that this improvement persists for 5 days.
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Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment