---
title: Improve walking speed and balance
nct_id: NCT07381907
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07381907"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07381907"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:06:20.116Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Improve walking speed and balance

**Goal (in five words):** Improve walking speed and balance

**Official Title:** Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Supplementary Motor Area Combined With Nordic Walking on Gait and Balance in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT07381907](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07381907)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba
- **Target Enrollment:** 40 participants
- **Start Date:** 2025-06-09
- **Completion Date:** 2026-02
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease (PD), Gait Disorders, Postural Balance
- **Interventions:** Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), active, Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Standardized Nordic Walking program
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE, BEHAVIORAL

## Summary For Families

The goal is to help people with Parkinson's who have slowed walking and balance problems walk more smoothly and reduce gait difficulties. The approach pairs mild, noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation over the supplementary motor area, which gently increases that brain region's excitability to support gait initiation and motor network plasticity, with a supervised Nordic walking program that uses poles to improve posture and walking rhythm; the stimulation is added to usual Parkinson's medications, not a replacement for levodopa. They are looking for adults 50 to 75 years old with idiopathic Parkinson's at Hoehn and Yahr stage II to IV, a slowed gait (about 6 seconds or more on a 10 meter walk), ability to walk 10 meters with or without a cane or poles, stable PD meds for at least 4 weeks, and cognitive ability to consent (roughly MMSE ≥24). People with implanted cranial devices like DBS or metal in the skull, recent seizures or uncontrolled medical issues, severe fall risk or musculoskeletal/vestibular problems that prevent walking with poles, recent PD medication changes, or current participation in other interventional gait or brain stimulation trials are excluded.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Maximum age:** 75 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (e.g., UK Brain Bank criteria)
* Hoehn \& Yahr stage II-IV (on medication)
* Stable antiparkinsonian medication for ≥4 weeks before enrollment
* Slowed gait phenotype (e.g., ≥6 seconds on 10-Meter Walk at preferred speed)
* Able to ambulate at least 10 meters with or without a cane/poles (no hands-on assistance from a therapist)
* Able to follow simple commands; provides written informed consent (MMSE ≥24 or equivalent cognitive screening)
* Willing to maintain stable PD medication and usual care during the 4-week intervention, unless medically required

Exclusion Criteria:

* Contraindications to tDCS: implanted cranial/brain devices (e.g., DBS), metal in the skull (excluding dental), active skin disease/lesions at electrode sites, uncontrolled epilepsy or history of seizure in the past 12 months
* Unstable medical or psychiatric conditions that preclude safe participation (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, recent cardiovascular events, severe orthostatic hypotension with syncope)
* Severe freezing of gait or fall risk that prevents safe participation in supervised Nordic Walking, as judged by the clinical team
* Severe musculoskeletal or vestibular disorders that limit walking with poles; severe uncorrected visual impairment
* Cognitive impairment incompatible with consent or testing (e.g., MMSE \<24)
* Current participation in other interventional trials targeting gait/balance or brain stimulation; recent initiation or dose change of antiparkinsonian medication within 4 weeks.
```

## Locations (1)

- UEAFTO - Unidade de Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional, Belém, Pará, Brazil _(-1.4558, -48.5044)_
  - Isabela L Cavalcante — (CONTACT) — 91989230477 — isabelacavalcante04@gmail.com

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07381907*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07381907*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07381907*