Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40125702›Full record

Trial reportAnnals of clinical and translational neurology2025

Home-Based Tele-tDCS in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Feasibility, Safety, and Preliminary Efficacy.

Sangeetha Madhavan, Shravni Deshmukh, Mark Cummings, Aditi Doshi, Kourosh Rezania, Sally Freels, Gina Sawa

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Annals of clinical and translational neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04866771 (Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Slowing Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04866771 nacompletednot on this map

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Slowing Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoRan2021 to 2025Enrolled14ConditionsAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)ArmsTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), Sham tDCS + anodal tDCS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Long-term use of tDCS-clinical and ethical considerations.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Sangeetha MadhavanBrain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Shravni DeshmukhBrain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3821-0700
Mark CummingsBrain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Aditi DoshiBrain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Kourosh RezaniaBiological Sciences Division, Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Sally FreelsDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Gina SawaBrain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Funding

Remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for slowing disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)R21HD102722 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · PI MADHAVAN, SANGEETHA · 2021 to 2022
$424k
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R21HD102722NICHD NIH HHS R21 HD102722
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with limited treatment options. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows promise as a neuromodulatory intervention in various neurological disorders, but its application in ALS, particularly in a remote, home-based format, remains underexplored. This study investigates the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of remotely supervised tele-tDCS in ALS patients.

methodsThis double-blinded pilot study included 14 spinal-onset ALS participants randomized into two groups: the intervention group received 72 tele-tDCS sessions over 24 weeks, and the delayed-start group received 36 sham sessions followed by 36 tele-tDCS sessions. Stimulation was delivered at 2 mA for 20 min 3 times a week. Primary outcomes included feasibility, safety, and disease progression measured by the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R). Adherence and adverse effects were monitored throughout.

resultsTen participants completed the study, with an overall compliance rate of 98.3%. No serious adverse events were reported, and mild side effects, like itching and tingling, were consistent with tDCS literature. The intervention group demonstrated a significantly slower decline in ALSFRS-R scores than the delayed-start group. At 24 weeks, the intervention group had a mean ALSFRS-R change of -1.7, compared to -13.6 in the delayed-start group (p = 0.0018). Additionally, the change in ALSFRS-R between pre- and mid-intervention significantly differed between groups (p = 0.0071).

interpretationTele-tDCS was feasible, safe, and well-tolerated in individuals with ALS. Preliminary efficacy results suggest that tele-tDCS may slow disease progression, underscoring the potential of tele-tDCS as a promising home-based neuromodulatory intervention in ALS management.

trial registrationClinical trial registration: NCT04866771.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultAgedDisease ProgressionDouble-Blind MethodFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsTelemedicineTreatment Outcomeamyotrophic lateral sclerosisdisease progressionneurodegenerative diseasesneuromodulationtranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Identifiers

PMID40125702
PMCPMC12093353

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.