Aggression, Antisocial Behavior
Conditions
Keywords
antisocial behavior, aggression, transcranial direct current stimulation, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, associated risk factors
Brief summary
This study investigates the relationship between prefrontal cortex activity and antisocial and aggressive behavior, and risk factors for such behavior. In the double-blind, randomized controlled trial, participants will undergo three sessions of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or sham stimulation and complete survey and laboratory measures assessing antisocial behavior and risk factors. Heart rate and skin conductance will also be measured.
Interventions
DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation
DEVICESham transcranial direct current stimulation
Sponsors
University of Pennsylvania
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Above 18 years of age * Able to understand the nature of the study and give informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Currently consuming anti-convulsant, anti-psychotic, or sedative/hypnotic medications * Currently consuming anti-depressants * History of seizures * Metallic implants on the scalp * Participation in other transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or tDCS experiments on the same day * History of adverse reactions to tDCS
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Pins Inserted Into a Virtual Voodoo Doll After 48 Hours | On average, 48 hours after the first 20-minute tDCS or sham session ends | The number of pins (between 0 and 51) that participants decide to insert into a picture of a voodoo doll on a computer that represents either a romantic partner or close friend will be recorded. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Anodal Stimulation Participants in the active stimulation group will undergo 3 sessions of anodal bilateral transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on three consecutive days. tDCS will be delivered by a battery-driven, constant-current stimulator connected to three saline-soaked surface sponge electrodes. Two anodal electrodes (25cm2) will be placed over the DLPFC bilaterally and one cathodal electrode (35cm2) will be placed at the back of the neck. Scalp electrodes will be positioned over the F3 and F4 according to the 10-20 EEG international system. A current of 2mA (1mA at each DLPFC site) will be applied for 20 minutes and the current will be ramped up and down at the beginning and end of the stimulation period.
Transcranial direct current stimulation | 13 |
| Sham Stimulation The sham transcranial direct current stimulation condition will involve the same placement of the electrodes, current intensity, and ramp time as the real tDCS condition, but stimulation will only last for 30 seconds.
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation | 11 |
| Total | 24 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Knowledge of study hypothesis | 1 | 0 |
| Overall Study | Lost to Follow-up | 3 | 0 |
| Overall Study | Protocol Violation | 0 | 4 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Sham Stimulation | Total | Anodal Stimulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 33.27 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.1 | 32.13 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.17 | 31.15 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.77 |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 4 Participants | 7 Participants | 3 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 3 Participants | 6 Participants | 3 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 4 Participants | 10 Participants | 6 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 11 participants | 24 participants | 13 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 5 Participants | 12 Participants | 7 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 6 Participants | 12 Participants | 6 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 13 | 0 / 11 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 12 / 13 | 8 / 11 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 13 | 0 / 11 |
Outcome results
Primary
Number of Pins Inserted Into a Virtual Voodoo Doll After 48 Hours
The number of pins (between 0 and 51) that participants decide to insert into a picture of a voodoo doll on a computer that represents either a romantic partner or close friend will be recorded.
Time frame: On average, 48 hours after the first 20-minute tDCS or sham session ends
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anodal Stimulation | Number of Pins Inserted Into a Virtual Voodoo Doll After 48 Hours | 3.77 pins | Standard Deviation 8.88 |
| Sham Stimulation | Number of Pins Inserted Into a Virtual Voodoo Doll After 48 Hours | .64 pins | Standard Deviation 1.5 |