tDCS in post-stroke fatigue (TIPS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does diminished motor cortical excitability cause post-stroke fatigue?
IRAS ID
195246
Contact name
Nick Ward
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UCL
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Many stroke survivors complain of tiredness or fatigue, sometimes years after stroke. Unlike normal tiredness, post stroke fatigue does not always respond to rest. The cause of extreme tiredness is not known and there are no definitive treatments available. We recently showed that in 70 stroke patients, fatigue was high if ‘brain energy’ was low. It is unclear if low brain energy causes fatigue or the other way around. In the current experiment we intend to prove that it is low ‘brain energy’ that causes fatigue. To do this we will change the ‘brain energy’ from low to high using brain stimulation and test if this improves fatigue levels. If so, then it can be concluded that low ‘brain energy’ gives rise to high fatigue. In this experiment we will be testing 217 stroke patients with high fatigue. We will divide them equally into two groups. The patients will be unaware which group they belong to. One group will receive ‘real’ brain stimulation to change ‘brain energy’. The second group will receive ‘sham’ brain stimulation. This stimulation will be given in multiple sessions in 1 day. This protocol is well-established. We will then measure fatigue and other physical and brain function to study the impact of brain stimulation. The prediction is that fatigue levels will decrease following real brain stimulation and not after sham brain stimulation. These results will provide a new direction to fatigue treatment. Fatigue is generally seen as a complaint associated with mood problems but this research will establish that fatigue is related to ‘brain energy’ levels and treatments should be targeted at increasing ‘brain energy’. Two stroke patients who previously participated in our fatigue study experiments, both with high fatigue, helped design some elements of the experiment. They will be involved throughout the project providing feedback.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0714
Date of REC Opinion
4 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion