Healthy Adults
Conditions
Keywords
transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), accelerate learning, memory
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory performance in healthy subjects, by applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) targeting the trigeminal nerve during a verbal paired-associate learning task
Detailed description
Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name or a word in English and the same word in another language. It is not only important for learning, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer׳s disease. For decades, neuroscientists have investigated associative learning and memory and ways to accelerate and enhance associative learning and memory. Transcranial Direct Current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and painless electrical stimulation technique that has demonstrated to accelerate learning and improve memory in some studies. To investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory using tDCS, the performance in a Verbal Paired-Associate memory task of 2 groups will be compared. The first group will get active tDCS during the verbal paired-associate learning task. The second group will get sham tDCS during the verbal paired-associate learning task.
Interventions
DEVICETranscranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve
Sponsors
The University of Texas at Dallas
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
participants will be randomly assigned to one of 2 groups: (1) active tDCS (2) sham tDCS
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Native English Speaker
Exclusion criteria
* History of severe head injuries, epileptic insults, or heart disease. * Severe psychiatric disorders and severe untreated medical problems * Acquainted with the foreign language used in the learning task * Contraindications for tDCS (e.g. pregnant, implanted devices)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test | 1 week after stimualtion | Changes in performance in the Verbal Paired-Associate memory task is compared between the 2 groups (1. Active tDCS 2. Sham tDCS) to investigate the influence of tDCS on Associative Memory. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Active tDCS Active transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve | 10 |
| Sham tDCS Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve | 10 |
| Total | 20 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Sham tDCS | Total | Active tDCS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 21.1 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.33 | 21.3 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.6 | 21.5 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.67 |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale | 2.6 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.99 | 2.6 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5 | 2.6 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.07 |
| Beck Depression Inventory Scale | 4.3 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.34 | 4.65 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.92 | 5 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.65 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 2 Participants | 3 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 8 Participants | 17 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Mini Mental State Examination | 29.5 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.972 | 29.4 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.99 | 29.3 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.06 |
| 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 | 2 Participants | 6 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 1 Participants | 1 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 3 Participants | 6 Participants | 3 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 10 Participants | 20 Participants | 10 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 9 Participants | 13 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 1 Participants | 7 Participants | 6 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
Outcome results
Primary
Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test
Changes in performance in the Verbal Paired-Associate memory task is compared between the 2 groups (1. Active tDCS 2. Sham tDCS) to investigate the influence of tDCS on Associative Memory.
Time frame: 1 week after stimualtion
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active tDCS | Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test | 32.9 percentage of words recalled from V1 | Standard Deviation 16.2 |
| Sham tDCS | Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test | 38.1 percentage of words recalled from V1 | Standard Deviation 18.6 |