Top-down modulation of memory under stress

Top-down modulation of memory under stress - ToMMuS

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00034663

Enrollment

120

Registered

2024-07-19

Start date

2024-09-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Basic science study examining the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying memory formation under stress. This research is also important in educational (e.g., school) and clinical (e.g., PTSD) contexts. To elucidate these neurocognitive mechanisms, we will employ a 2x2 design. Thus, the main effects of transcranial stimulation over the left medial intraparietal sulcus (inhibition vs. sham) and stress (stressful social interaction vs. non-stressful social interaction), as well as potential interacti

Interventions

Group 1: Active TMS-stress-group: Participants' left medial intraparietal sulcus (left mIPS) will receive inhibitory stimulation via neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before parti

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: • Fluency in German • Right handedness

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: • Current medication intake (prescription) • Any TMS contraindications, such as head trauma, metal/electrical implants (especially at the head area), neurosurgery, epilepsy, or migraine (for TMS) • Psychology studentship • Drug use • Current illness or lifetime history of any neurological, or psychiatric disorders • Any contraindications for MRI • Pregnancy or use of hormonal contraceptives in women • Smoking

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The main goal of the study is assessing the neural and cognitive mechanisms during encoding of visual stimulus material. To this end, participants will undergo active or sham TMS of the left medial intraparietal sulcus. Afterward, participants are exposed to a stressful or non-stressful social interaction interspersed by a memory encoding task during which the experimenters manipulate top-down attention through task instructions. This is followed by a surprise recognition task 24h later. During the social interaction and the encoding task physiological measures will be taken. There will be four experimental groups.	—

Measure

Time frame

The main goal of the study is assessing the neural and cognitive mechanisms during encoding of visual stimulus material. To this end, participants will undergo active or sham TMS of the left medial intraparietal sulcus. Afterward, participants are exposed to a stressful or non-stressful social interaction interspersed by a memory encoding task during which the experimenters manipulate top-down attention through task instructions. This is followed by a surprise recognition task 24h later. During the social interaction and the encoding task physiological measures will be taken. There will be four experimental groups.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Deepened understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms (especially the role of top-down attention) underlying memory formation under stress.	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactLars;Fabian Schwabe;Dorok

Universität Hamburg;Universität Hamburg

lars.schwabe@uni-hamburg.de;fabian.dorok@uni-hamburg.de+49 40 42838-5950;+49 40 42838-5483

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026