Fighting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: TMS vs. tDCS Efficacy.
NCT07842302, Not applicable, Enrolling by invitation, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Trial 10
As registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, in the graph's capture of the registry.
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Fighting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: TMS vs. tDCS Efficacy. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| NCT number | NCT07842302 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Status | Enrolling by invitation | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Phases | Not applicable | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Enrollment | 80 participants, estimated | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Lead sponsor | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Conditions | Multiple Sclerosis | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Interventions | TMS, tDCS, Sham TMS, Sham tDCS | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| First posted | 2026-09-25 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Last updated | 2026-11-10 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
Registered outcomes 14
Each outcome the trial registered, primary first, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.
| List | Outcome | Time frame | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The MFIS is a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess how fatigue impacts the daily lives of people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It consists of 21 items divided into three subscales: Physical subscale (9 items)Cognitive subscale (10 items)Psychosocial subscale (2 items). Items are rated based on the patient's experiences over the past 4 weeks using a 5-point Likert scale (from 0 = "Never" to 4 = "Almost always"). Total score ranges from 0 to 84, with higher score indicating more severe fatigue. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Primary | Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | It is a 20-item scale assessing two dimensions of MS-related fatigue: cognitive and motor. Patients rank statements on a scale from "Does not apply" to "Applies completely". Cut-off values were used to classify patients as experiencing mild, moderate or severe fatigue. Higher scores indicating a greater impact of fatigue. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Primary | Multiple sclerosis fatigue severity scale (MSFSS) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | It is a 9-item (7-point Likert scale), self-report, questionnaire designed to measure the severity of fatigue and its impact on daily activities. It is one of the most widely used and validated scales for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Higher score Indicates more severe fatigue and interference with the patient's daily responsibilities, work, or social life. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Primary | Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The SDMT measures information processing speed, visual scanning, working memory, and sustained attention. It is widely considered the gold standard for detecting and tracking cognitive impairment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. The total score ranges from 0 to 110, with higher score indicating better cognitive performance. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life (MSQOL-54) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | It is a highly comprehensive, disease-specific health-related quality of life instrument designed for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. It consists of 54 items divided into 12 distinct subscales alongside 2 single items.The 12 Subscales: Physical function, role limitations (physical), role limitations (emotional), pain, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, health perceptions, social function, cognitive function, health distress, sexual function, and satisfaction with sexual function. Total score ranges from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate a better quality of life. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Functional Independence Measure (FIM) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | It is an 18-item clinician-administered assessment designed to measure a patient's level of disability and track their functional changes during rehabilitation. It quantifies how much assistance a person requires to perform essential activities of daily living safely. It is divided into two main subscales: Motor Subscale (13 items): Covers self-care, sphincter control, transfers, and locomotion; and Cognitive Subscale (5 items): Covers communication and social cognition (problem-solving, memory). Total score ranges from 18 to 126. Higher scores indicate greater functional independence. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Barther Index | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The Barthel Index is an internationally recognized, clinician-administered or self-report rating scale used to measure a patient's performance in activities of daily living. It consists of 10 items evaluating basic self-care and mobility tasks. The 10 Items: Feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, bowel control, bladder control, toilet use, transfers (bed to chair), mobility (on level surfaces), and stairs. Total score ranges from 0 to 100; higher scores indicate greater independence. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Selective reminding test (SRT) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The SRT is a highly sensitive neuropsychological verbal memory test designed to assess verbal learning and long-term memory. It is uniquely structured to differentiate between a patient's ability to store information over the long term versus their ability to retrieve it at any given moment. It is widely used to detect cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis. It consists of 6 consecutive learning trials, followed by a delayed recall trial (administered 15 to 30 minutes later) and a final recognition trial. Instead of a single final number, the SRT generates multiple crucial metrics: Long-Term Storage (LTS): The number of words that have entered long-term memory.Consistent Long-Term Retrieval (CLTR): The words consistently recalled across consecutive trials without being reminded.Short-Term Storage (STS): Words recalled only after just being read. Higher scores in all indices indicate better verbal memory and learning capacity. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Spatial recall test (10/36 SPART) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The 10/36 SPART is a highly sensitive neuropsychological test used to evaluate visuospatial learning and long-term visual memory. It includes two different scores: immediate recall ranges from 0 to 30; and delayed recall ranges from 0 to 10. Higher scores always indicate better visuospatial memory. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The PASAT is used to assess auditory information processing speed, sustained attention, divided attention, and working memory. The final score ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicate better processing speed and working memory. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Word List Generation Test (WLG) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The WLG is a brief, widely used verbal fluency test designed to assess a patient's spontaneous word production, executive functioning, and mental flexibility. It includes both phonemic (phonetic) and semantic (categorical) verbal fluency tasks. The final score is simply the total number of correct, unique words produced within the time limit. Higher scores indicate better verbal fluency and executive functioning. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Stroop test | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The Stroop Test is used to evaluate executive functioning, specifically selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed. It measures a person's ability to inhibit an automatic response (reading a word) in favor of a novel, controlled response (naming the ink color). The standard clinical version consists of three separate trials, each presented on a page with columns of items:Word Page (W): Color words (e.g., RED, GREEN, BLUE) printed in black ink. The patient reads the words as fast as possible.Color Page (C): Rows of symbols (like XXXX) printed in colored ink. The patient names the ink colors as fast as possible.Color-Word Page (CW / Interference): Color words printed in conflicting ink colors (e.g., the word RED printed in BLUE ink). The patient must name the color of the ink and ignore the written word. The Interference Score indicate resistance to interferences, with higher scores indicating better cognitive control and stronger resistance to interference. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Trail making test (A and B) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a widely used neuropsychological assessment designed to evaluate visuospatial scanning, processing speed, and executive functioning (specifically cognitive flexibility and set-shifting). Part A (TMT-A): The patient is presented with a sheet containing the numbers 1 through 25 scattered inside circles. They must draw a continuous line connecting the numbers in sequential order (1-2-3-4...). It primarily measures visual scanning, motor speed, and basic processing speed. Part B (TMT-B): The patient is presented with numbers (1 to 13) and letters (A to L) scattered inside circles. They must draw a continuous line alternating between numbers and letters in ascending order (1-A-2-B-3-C...). It measures complex executive control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (set-shifting). The score for each part is the total time in seconds taken to complete the task. Lower times indicate better cognitive performance (faster speed and efficiency). | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Secondary | Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) | Baseline, post-treatment (1 month), and 6 months follow-up | The HADS is a widely used 14-item (rated on a 4-point Likert scale, 0 to 3) self-report questionnaire designed to screen for anxiety and depression in patients with physical medical conditions. Its primary methodological advantage is that it strictly excludes somatic symptoms (such as fatigue, pain, or sleep disturbances). This prevents a patient's physical illness-such as Multiple Sclerosis-from artificially inflating their psychological scores. It features two independent subscales of 7 items each:HADS-A (Anxiety): Evaluates cognitive and emotional states of tension, worry, and panic.HADS-D (Depression): Heavily focused on anhedonia (the loss of the ability to enjoy things) rather than physical lethargy. Each subscale is calculated separately and ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate worse psychological distress. | ClinicalTrials.gov |
Outcomes 0
Each outcome the trial posted results for, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.
| Type | Outcome | Time frame | Population | Units | Measured as | Source |
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Results by group 0
Each measurement the trial posted, group by group, in the words and numbers it posted.
| Outcome | Group | Category | Value | Spread | Units | Source |
|---|
Participant flow 0
How many started, completed or left each group, period by period.
| Period | Milestone | Group | Participants | Units counted | Source |
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Adverse events 0
Each adverse event the trial posted, group by group: the participants affected out of those at risk.
| Type | Event | Organ system | Group | Affected | At risk | Events | Source |
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Adverse event totals 0
The totals the trial posted for each group.
| Total | Group | Affected | At risk | Source |
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Papers 0
The papers the trial lists on ClinicalTrials.gov.
| PMID | Listed as | Source |
|---|
Grants 0
The grants NIH RePORTER links to the trial, newest funded first: NIH's, and some of AHRQ's, CDC's, FDA's and VA's. Each shows its title, principal investigators, organization and funder in its newest year.
| Project | Title | Principal investigators | Organization | Funder | Fiscal years | Source |
|---|
Trial comparisons 0
Comparisons of the trial's two groups, calculated by ConductScience from the counts it posted.
| Comparison | Source |
|---|
Tests 7
The ConductCognition tests this trial's registered outcomes name, as ScienceGraph matched them in trial-tests-2026-11-12-0.2.1.
| Test | Named as | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol Coding | Primary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Paced Visual Serial Addition Test | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Selective Reminding Task | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Stroop Color-Word Test | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Trail Making Test A | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Trail Making Test B | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Verbal Fluency | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
Source 5
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Release | trials-2026-11-12-0.4.0 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Release manifest SHA-256 | 0f4a8d8c48aee2a7573ae0fa94ecbeab70c1adbe449bbc95c424bc7d3e97b9d4 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Registry capture | 2026-11-12 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| Results copy, AACT | 2026-03-23 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
| NIH clinical studies file | 2026-11-13 | ClinicalTrials.gov |
Release trials-2026-11-12-0.4.0
ClinicalTrials.gov's posted results, through CTTI's AACT: ClinicalTrials.gov data via Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT), CTTI. CTTI makes its materials freely available and requests acknowledgement. https://aact.ctti-clinicaltrials.org/documentation/299 ClinicalTrials.gov's data carry an international copyright outside the United States: https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/terms-conditions.
ClinicalTrials.gov: none stated ClinicalTrials.gov's data carry an international copyright outside the United States: https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/terms-conditions.
NIH RePORTER's clinical studies and project files: Public domain (NIH RePORTER)