Safety and Efficacy of Early Brain-Computer Interface Training After Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-80
SponsorShandong Provincial Hospital

About this trial

This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of early EEG-based non-invasive brain-computer interface (EEG-BCI) training as an add-on to standard early rehabilitation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after reperfusion therapy. Eligible participants are adults aged 18 to 80 years with unilateral limb motor dysfunction after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Participants will be randomized to receive either standard early rehabilitation plus closed-loop EEG-BCI dual-module virtual hand and gait training, or standard early rehabilitation alone.

The EEG-BCI intervention includes upper-limb virtual hand training and lower-limb gait/ankle dorsiflexion training, delivered twice daily for approximately 20 minutes per session over 5 consecutive days. The primary outcome is the change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score from baseline (T0) to Day 30. Secondary outcomes include upper- and lower-limb motor function, ambulation, neurological status, disability, and activities of daily living. Safety and feasibility outcomes will also be assessed.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

1. Age 18 to 80 years.

2. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with reperfusion therapy, including intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or mechanical thrombectomy (MT); for participants undergoing MT, successful recanalization during the procedure defined as eTICI 2b-3.

3. Meets the protocol-defined clinical stability criteria for the corresponding treatment pathway (see Section 4.3).

4. Unilateral limb motor dysfunction on the same side as the dominant hand.

Disqualifiers

1. Imaging-confirmed symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), or bleeding risk considered unacceptable by the investigator and requiring a change in treatment strategy.

2. Overt progressive neurological deterioration or need for urgent intervention, making training inappropriate, such as an increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of >=4 from a prior assessment with cause not yet clarified or stabilized.

3. Severe disturbance of consciousness, severe aphasia or neglect, or significant cognitive impairment that would prevent completion of BCI training tasks or primary outcome assessment.

4. Bilateral significant motor impairment, such as brainstem or bilateral lesions, or pre-existing moderate-to-severe disability of the contralateral upper or lower limb, which would interfere with training or interpretation of assessments under the unilateral impairment framework.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • EEG-based non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) virtual hand/gait training system

    Device

    Closed-loop EEG-based non-invasive brain-computer interface training added to standard early rehabilitation, including virtual hand training for the upper limb and gait/ankle dorsiflexion training for the lower limb. Training is delivered twice daily, approximately 20 minutes per session, for 5 consecutive days.

  • Standard Early Rehabilitation

    Behavioral

    Participants receive site-standard early rehabilitation according to the local rehabilitation protocol.

Treatment groups

60 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Experimental BCI Rehabilitation GroupExperimental treatment 2 interventions
Group B: Standard Early Rehabilitation GroupActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score

Change is calculated as the Day 30 FMA-UE score minus the baseline (T0) FMA-UE score. Higher positive values indicate greater improvement in upper-extremity motor function. T0 is defined as 48 hours after IVT for the IVT-only pathway, and Day 5 (120 ± 24 hours) after MT for the MT ± IVT pathway.

Time frame
Baseline (T0), Day 30

Secondary outcomes

1

Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score

Upper-extremity motor impairment assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity. Higher scores indicate better upper-extremity motor function.

Time frame
Day 10 (±2 days), Day 30, Day 90
2

Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) score

Upper-limb activity limitation assessed using the Action Research Arm Test. Higher scores indicate better upper-limb function.

Time frame
Day 10 (±2 days), Day 30, Day 90
3

Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) score

Lower-extremity motor impairment assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity. Higher scores indicate better lower-extremity motor function.

Time frame
Day 10 (±2 days), Day 30, Day 90
4

Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) score

Walking ability assessed using the Functional Ambulation Category. Higher scores indicate greater independence in ambulation.

Time frame
Day 10 (±2 days), Day 30, Day 90

Other outcomes

1

Screening-to-enrollment ratio

Feasibility outcome defined as the number of participants enrolled and randomized divided by the total number of participants screened.

Time frame
Through completion of recruitment, an estimated 16 months
2

Intervention adherence rate

Feasibility outcome defined as the proportion of planned training sessions completed by each participant.

Time frame
During the 5-day intervention period
3

Effective BCI training duration

Feasibility outcome defined as the cumulative duration of valid BCI training completed during the intervention period.

Time frame
During the 5-day intervention period
4

EEG signal quality and classification accuracy

Feasibility outcome assessing the quality of EEG acquisition and the performance of signal classification during BCI training sessions.

Time frame
During the 5-day intervention period

Locations

This trial has no locations.

Sponsors and contacts

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