Remote tDCS and Chair Yoga for Chronic Knee Pain in Alzheimer's Patients

This study is looking at a new way to help older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) who have ongoing knee pain. It combines two treatments: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which uses a gentle electrical current to change brain activity, and online chair yoga. Researchers want to see if this combination, done at home with remote supervision, can help reduce knee pain. You might be able to join if you are 60 or older, live in the community, and have a diagnosis of ADRD from a doctor. The main goal is to measure your pain using a Numeric Rating Score (NRS) at different times during the study. The study plans to enroll 40 people, but its current recruitment status is unclear.

Study design: This is an interventional study planning to enroll 40 participants. It tests a combination of active tDCS and active online chair yoga.
What's involved: You would receive active tDCS for 20 minutes daily for one week, then 20 minutes three times a week for three more weeks. Your pain will be measured at the start, after each session, and at the end of the four-week intervention.
Compensation: Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up: Your pain will be measured at the end of the intervention (Week 4).

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

Remote tDCS and Chair Yoga for Chronic Knee Pain in Alzheimer's Patients

Recruiting

NAAges 60+InterventionalTreatment

University of Arizona

~40 participants

Updated 2025-12-26 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What's tested:Active tDCS paired with active online chair yoga

At a glance

Recruiting sites

1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now

RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open

What they're measuring

Numeric Rating Score (NRS) of Pain

Measured over Baseline (Week 0); after each intervention session (Sessions 1-14 over Weeks 1-4); and end of intervention (Week 4).

Conditions

Alzheimer&Amp;#39;s Disease

Other Dementias

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states

Arizona1

Who to contact

Juyoung Park, Ph.D.

[email protected]

520-626-6863

Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Live in the community (not institutionalized).

Have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia, or Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED) diagnosed by a neurologist or other healthcare provider.

Be in mild to moderate ADRD, as indicated by a Quick Dementia Rating Scale (QDRS) score between 6 and 20.5.

Score above 10 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Experience chronic knee pain (caregiver-reported average pain in the past 3 months \> 40 out of 100).

Have no planned changes to their medication regimen or other interventions for knee pain during the trial.

Agree to participate in both transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and online chair yoga (OCY).

Be able to ambulate independently with minimal assistance (e.g., using a cane or walker) for participation in OCY and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. - -- Be English-speaking and able to understand verbal instructions (literacy not required).

Be able to consent for themselves or identify a legally authorized representative who can provide written informed consent.

Exhibit neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g., apathy, agitation).

Be naïve to yoga and tDCS.

Caregivers must be at least 18 years old

have provided care and assistance to the patient for at least 10 hours per week at the time of enrollment

anticipate continuing to provide care and assistance for the next 4 months (until the study ends)

be willing to receive tDCS training, administer home-based tDCS sessions, and assist the patient in attending OCY sessions

have access to a reliable Internet connec¬tion for secure videoconferencing for real-time remote supervision

English-speaking caregivers who can understand verbal instructions.

Exclusion

a history of brain surgery, brain tumor, head trauma, seizure/epilepsy, stroke, cancer affecting the head, or intracranial metal implantation;

systemic rheumatic disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or fibromyalgia;

prosthetic knee replacement or non-arthroscopic surgery to the affected knee;

compromised skin integrity on the head in the area where electrodes will be placed;

serious comorbidities that preclude participation in tDCS or OCY (e.g., heart failure \[level IV\] causing shortness of breath on exertion);

hospitalization within the preceding year for neuropsychiatric illness that would impact knee pain or interfere with study procedures;

use of another neurostimulation device (e.g., spinal cord stimulator, cardio-stimulator, or implanted cardioverter-defibrillator).

alcohol/substance use disorder

inability to understand English

disability that would prevent assisting patients with ADRD from participating in tDCS and OCY (e.g., blindness, deafness)

unwillingness to provide care and assistance to patients until the study is completed.

What this trial measures

Numeric Rating Score (NRS) of PainBaseline (Week 0); after each intervention session (Sessions 1-14 over Weeks 1-4); and end of intervention (Week 4).
Clinical pain intensity will be measured by asking participants to rate their knee pain over the last 24 hours between 0 (no pain) - 10 (worst pain imaginable). The NRS has a reported Cronbach's alpha coefficient of ≥ 0.8 and is a reliable way for measuring knee pain in adults with knee osteoarthritis.

Trialytics