tDCS Effects on GABA Concentration and Brain Functional Connectivity in Young Adults

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on GABA Concentration and Brain Functional Connectivity in Young Adults.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02794298

Acronym

TRAINSTIM1

Enrollment

Registered

2016-06-09

Start date

2016-04-30

Completion date

2016-12-31

Last updated

2017-01-06

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

Conditions

Healthy Young Adults

Brief summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether anodal tDCS over the left M1 leads to a decrease of GABA concentration and alterations of functional brain connectivity in younger people, compared to sham tDCS.

Interventions

DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

DEVICEsham-tDCS

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* unobtrusive neuropsychological screening * age: young adults: 18-30 years

Exclusion criteria

* Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or other neurological diseases * History of severe alcoholism or use of drugs * Severe psychiatric disorders such as depression, psychosis (if not in remission) and severe untreated medical problems * Contraindication for MRI (claustrophobia, metallic implants, ferromagnetic metals in the body, disorders of thermoregulation, pregnant women)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Measurement of GABA concentration by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) after anodal tDCS adjusted for baseline levels.	assessed immediately before and after a 15-min stimulation time	Investigation whether anodal tDCS leads to a significant reduction of M1-GABA concentration in younger adults compared to sham stimulation.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
GABA concentration assessed by MRS after cathodal tDCS adjusted for baseline levels	assessed immediately before and after a 15-min stimulation time	To assess stimulation effects on GABA concentration by magnetic resonance spectroscopy are measured before and after cathodal tDCS.
Resting-state functional connectivity changes	assessed during a 15-min stimulation time	Functional connectivity as measured by resting-state fMRI during tDCS compared to sham
Genotyping of learning related polymorphisms.	assessed during baseline screening	To assess predictors of positive reaction to brain stimulation, genotyping of several learning related polymorphisms will be performed.

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

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