Effects of Brain Stimulation During Nocturnal Sleep on Memory Consolidation in Elderly Healthy Subjects

Impact of Transcranial Slow Oscillating Stimulation on Memory Consolidation During Nocturnal Slow Wave Sleep in Elderly Healthy Subjects

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01791790

Enrollment

Registered

2013-02-15

Start date

2013-01-31

Completion date

2016-12-31

Last updated

2021-05-24

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

Conditions

Elderly Subjects

Keywords

old Subjects, Controls, brain stimulation, tSOS, tDCS, sleep, memory, memory consolidation

Brief summary

The beneficial effect of nocturnal sleep on memory consolidation is well-documented in young, healthy subjects. Especially, periods rich in slow-wave sleep (SWS) have shown a memory enhancing effect on hippocampus-dependent declarative memory. Slow oscillatory activity typically occuring during SWS has been implicated in the consolidation effect. Recent evidence in young healthy subjects suggest that the sleep-associated consolidation effect can be amplified by the application of a weak transcranial oscillatory electric current within the frequency range of SWS in humans (0,7-0,8 Hz) during SWS. If elderly, healthy subjects benefit from transcranial slow oscillatory stimulation (tSOS) during nocturnal sleep as well has not been studied so far. The primary aim of the present study is to investigate the influence of a weak slow oscillating brain stimulation (tSOS) on declarative memory consolidation applied during periods of nocturnal SWS in elderly healthy subjects.

Interventions

DEVICEStimulation

DEVICESHAM

no stimulation

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

50 Years to 90 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* elederly, healthy Subjects * unobtrusive, neuropsychological screening * age: 50-90 years * right handed

Exclusion criteria

* untreated severe internal or psychiatric diseases * epilepsy * other severe neurological diseases eg., previous major stroke, brain tumour, dementia * contraindications to MRI

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Retention of declarative memories after 0.75 Hz stimulation during SWS, vs after sham stimulation during SWS	4 weeks	Retention between stimulation conditions (0.75 Hz during SWS, vs sham stimulation during SWS) in the declarative memory task.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Amount of Slow wave Sleep, spindels, eeg-correlates, further memory systems	4 weeks	1. Amount of slow wave sleep assessed by standard polysomnographic criteria in 0,75 Hz vs SHAM stimulation during SWS. 2. Spindel activity during sleep indicated via several spindel parameters like number, duration, frequency of spindles; compared between 0,75 Hz and SHAM stimulation during SWS. 3. Neuronal correlates (EEG-power in slow oscillation frequency bands induced by 0,75 Hz vs SHAM stimulation during SWS; EEG-correlates of encoding and retrieval of a declarative memory task). 4. Performance in further memory systems (procedural), compared between 0,75 Hz and SHAM stimulation during SWS.

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026