Brain Stimulation for Foot-sole Sensation in Older Adults With Foot-sole Somatosensory Deficits

Conditions

• Balance Control
• Mobility
• Somatosensory Function

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

65 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• transcranial direct current stimulation — DEVICE
  tDCS can safely and selectively modulate cortical excitability (specifically neuronal firing likelihood) by transferring weak electrical currents between scalp electrodes. The direct current delivered by any one electrode will not exceed 2.0 mA and the total amount of current from all electrodes will not exceed 4 mA in this study.
• active sham stimulation — DEVICE
  sham stimulation will implement the same protocol of the tDCS intervention; however, only very low-level currents (no more than 0.5 mA) are transferred between the same electrodes used for the tDCS throughout the 20-minute session. This strategy effectively mimics the cutaneous sensations and skin redness induced by creating only micro cortical electric fields.

Study Details

In older adults, diminished sensation of the legs and feet is highly prevalent and causes poor balance and reduced mobility. This type of sensation is not only dependent upon the receptors and nerves in the legs and feet, but also upon a complex central nervous system pathway that includes the cerebral cortex of the brain. This project will use a form of noninvasive brain stimulation called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to test whether increasing the excitability of the brain networks that process sensory feedback can augment foot sole sensation, balance, and mobility in older adults suffering from mild-to-moderate foot sole sensory impairments.

Key Dates

Start date

Feb 26, 2026

Status verified

Mar 2026

Primary completion

Jul 1, 2026

Completion

Dec 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: tDCS group
  Participants in this arm will receive the real tDCS intervention.
• Sham Comparator: sham group
  Participants in this arm will receive the sham stimulation as control.

Primary Outcome Measure

postural sway area when standing with eyes closed on the foam [ Time Frame: Before and immediately after intervention ]

Central Contacts

• Junhong Zhou, PhD
  617-971-5346
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Roslindale, MA

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