Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02052271

Experimental Therapeutics in Essential Tremor Using Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

The purpose of this study is to determine whether transcranial cathodal direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered over the cerebellum can improve essential tremor.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Essential Tremor Central Nervous System Diseases Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle, Hôpital Pitié-Salpétrière

Paris, 75651, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years and ≤ 65 years
  • Important essential tremor (bilateral postural and/or action tremor since more than one year)
  • Normal physical and neurological examination, except for essential tremor
  • Insufficient efficiency of usual essential tremor's treatment
  • No treatment altering the cortical excitability
  • Agreement to use a medically acceptable method of contraception throughout the study for female of childbearing potential
  • mini-mental status score >24

Exclusion criteria

  • Age < 18 years and > 65 years
  • Current neurological or psychiatric illness other than essential tremor
  • Individual who is on medication which is known to lower seizure threshold
  • Previous history of seizure, loss of conciousness or current active epilepsy
  • Contraindication for MRI or TMS study
  • Intake of antiepileptic medications for essential tremor (barbiturates, gabapentine, topiramate, clonazepam), within the 7 days preceeding the first visit
  • alcohol intake within the 24 hours preceeding the first visit
  • Pregnancy, breast feeding women and women who are of childbearing age and not practicing adequate birth control
  • Individual who have MMS ≤ 24/30 or patients legally protected or inability to provide an informed consent
  • Simultaneous participation in another clinical trial
  • Patients who are not enrolled at social security

Treatment and study plan

Cathodal cerebellar transcranial direct current placebo stimulation

Device

Placebo stimulation: duration: 9 seconds, intensity: 2 mA; localisation cerebellum;

Cathodal cerebellar transcranial direct current active stimulation

Device

Active stimulation: duration: 20 mn, intensity: 2 mA; localisation cerebellum;

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in tremor amplitude on clinical rating scale

    Time frame: 10 minutes after the end of tDCS

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in tremor amplitude on accelerometric recording

    Time frame: During tDCS, 10 mn, 60 mn and 90 mn after the end of tDCS

  2. Change from baseline in tremor amplitude on electromyographic recordings

    Time frame: During tDCS, 10 mn, 60 mn and 90 mn after the end of tDCS

  3. Change from baseline in tremor amplitude on digitized tablet

    Time frame: During tDCS, 10 mn, 60 mn and 90 mn after the end of tDCS

  4. Change from baseline in tremor amplitude on clinical rating scale

    Time frame: During tDCS, 60 mn and 90 mn after the end of tDCS

  5. Change from baseline of amplitude of motor evoked potentials elicited by TMS

    Time frame: 10 mn, 60 mn and 90 mn after tDCS

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Thérapeutique expérimentale du Tremblement Essentiel Par la Stimulation Transcranienne Par Courant Direct (tDCS) du Cortex Cerebelleux

Acronym: ELECTRE2

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Feb 3, 2014
Registry last updated
Apr 24, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.