Public Announcement Concerning a Proposed Health Care Project
Baystate Health intends to file a Notice of Determination of Need Application with the Mass. Dept. of Public Health with respect to a Proposed Project involving Trinity Health Of New England’s Mercy Medical Center.
This study builds on the success of TRANSPORT2 (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Post-Stroke Motor Recovery), a multicenter stroke recovery trial co-led by Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, at Baystate Medical Center. As the first brain stimulation trial for stroke recovery funded by and fully conducted through NIH StrokeNet, TRANSPORT2 was published in The Lancet Neurology, with Baystate serving as the top-enrolling site nationwide.
The new study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of higher doses of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a safe, non-invasive form of electrical brain stimulation, when combined with modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (mCIMT), an established rehabilitation approach for arm and hand recovery after stroke. Eligible participants will receive a mild electrical current through electrodes placed on specific areas of the scalp while participating in intensive occupational therapy. By enhancing the brain's ability to adapt, form new neural connections, and strengthen existing pathways, researchers hope to further improve recovery of arm and hand function during the subacute stroke recovery period.
This groundbreaking and innovative treatment, currently available only at Baystate in the United States as part of this research study, is being evaluated in adults with arm weakness following an ischemic stroke. In addition to assessing safety, the study will examine improvements in arm and hand function, as well as associated changes in the brain that may contribute to recovery.
Inclusion: Adults aged 18-85 with a first-ever ischemic stroke 1-24 months ago and have unilateral limb weakness considered mild to moderate (some active movement in the affected wrist, thumb, and at least two fingers).
Exclusion: Presence of any MRI/tDCS/TMS risk factors.
