Actively Recruiting
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Led by University of California, Los Angeles · Updated on 2026-05-01
120
Participants Needed
3
Research Sites
263 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of California, Los Angeles
Lead Sponsor
J
Johns Hopkins University
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Many patients with acute ischemic stroke are ineligible for currently available standard treatments (clot-busting medication, also known as intravenous thrombolytic or mechanical removal of a clot), and many are non-responders, resulting in a low rate of excellent outcomes, which necessitates the development of novel therapies. In this study, investigators are testing a new treatment in which a weak electrical current will be applied via scalp electrodes to increase collateral blood flow to the brain and rescue the brain tissue at risk of injury. The primary aim is to find an optimal dose of this therapy that is both adequately safe and effective on imaging markers of brain tissue rescue.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- New focal neurologic deficit consistent with acute ischemic stroke
- NIH Stroke Scale score of 4 or higher, or less than 4 with a disabling deficit
- Age over 18 years
- Presence of cortical vessel occlusion including internal carotid artery or cerebral artery branches
- Presence of salvageable brain tissue with perfusion lesion volume to ischemic core volume ratio of at least 1.2 on imaging
- Ineligibility for endovascular thrombectomy treatment
- Ability to receive transcranial direct current stimulation within 24 hours of last known well time
- Signed informed consent from patient or legally authorized representative
- For non-thrombolytic patients: ineligible for intravenous thrombolytics
- For thrombolytic patients: eligible for tPA and within 2 hours of starting intravenous thrombolytic treatment
You will not qualify if you...
- Acute intracranial hemorrhage
- Contraindications to MRI or gadolinium contrast including certain implants, metallic piercings, allergy, or kidney dysfunction
- Large ischemic core volume of 100 cc or more
- Contraindications to transcranial direct current stimulation such as intracranial metal implants
- Pregnancy
- Signs of acute myocardial infarction at admission
- History of seizure disorder or new seizures with current stroke
- Serious medical conditions preventing study completion or follow-up
- Use of other experimental therapies
- Preexisting scalp lesions or skull defects at stimulation site
- Preexisting blood clotting disorders
- Suspected infective endocarditis or septic emboli related stroke
- Suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection
- Radiographic or suspected conditions increasing risk of brain bleeding
- Suspected cerebral vasculitis, cysticercosis, cranial dural arteriovenous fistula, or cerebral venous thrombosis
- Recent head trauma with symptoms within past 30 days
- Stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic) within past 3 months
- History of cancers known to cause brain bleeding metastases
- History of left atrial myxoma
- Evidence or suspicion of artery dissection or aortic dissection
- Significant brain swelling with midline shift
- Patient in coma
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 3 locations
1
University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA)
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
Actively Recruiting
2
Johns Hopkins Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
Actively Recruiting
3
Duke Medical Center Hospital
Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
M
Mersedeh Bahr-Hosseini, MD
CONTACT
J
Jeffrey Saver, MD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
4
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