Healthy Adults
Conditions
Keywords
transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), accelerated learning, memory
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether we can accelerate learning and improve associative memory performance in healthy subjects by applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) during a Face Name memory 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 we can accelerate learning and improve associative memory using tDCS, we will compare the performance in a Face Name Associate memory task from 2 groups. The first group will get active tDCS during the study phase of the Face Name Memory task, whereas the second group will get sham tDCS during the study phase of the task.
Interventions
DEVICEtDCS
active tDCS
DEVICEsham tDCS
sham tDCS
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 two groups: (1) active tDCS with Face Name associate memory task (2) sham tDCS with Face Name associate memory task
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age: 18-35 years * Native English Speaker
Exclusion criteria
* History of severe head injuries, epileptic insults, or heart disease. * Severe psychiatric disorders and severe untreated medical problems. * Contraindications for tDCS (pregnant women, implanted devices)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Associative Memory Assessed by a Face Name Associate Memory Experiment | Associate Memory is assessed after a 10 minutes break following the study phase | All participants performed a face memory task .The face stimuli consisted of 120 grayscale pictures of human faces. Only faces with a neutral expression facing forward were selected. Half of the faces were male, and the other half were female. The face-name association memory task was divided into (1) an encoding phase, (2) a consolidation phase, and (3) a retrieval phase. During the encoding phase, participants studied 60 successively presented face-name pairs and were instructed to assess their gender to keep them focused to the task. The encoding phase was followed by a consolidation phase where participants were instructed to sit still, relax, and think about nothing in particular for 10 minutes, During the retrieval phase, participants were presented with 60 old and 60 new faces and were instructed to assess whether they have seen this face during the encoding phase. The outcome was the percent of Correct Name to Face Matches |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
1. Age between 18 and 35 2. Currently not using any medication 3. Native English speaker 4. Capable of understanding and signing an informed consent
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Active tDCS active tDCS with Face Name associate Memory task
tDCS: active tDCS | 15 |
| Sham tDCS sham tDCS with Face Name associate Memory task
sham tDCS: sham tDCS | 15 |
| Total | 30 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Total | Active tDCS | Sham tDCS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 20.13 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.26 | 19.67 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5 | 20.6 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.9 |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale | 3.60 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.21 | 4.53 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.38 | 2.67 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.85 |
| Beck Depression Inventory Scale | 4.33 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.66 | 5.20 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.61 | 3.47 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.62 |
| Mini Mental State Examination | 28.7 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.24 | 28.9 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.88 | 28.5 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.51 |
| Profile of Mood States- Mood Disturbance | 4.4 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 18.9 | 10.27 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 23.2 | 1.47 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.33 |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 13 Participants | 5 Participants | 8 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 3 Participants | 1 Participants | 2 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 3 Participants | 3 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 10 Participants | 6 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 30 participants | 15 participants | 15 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 22 Participants | 10 Participants | 12 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 8 Participants | 5 Participants | 3 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 15 | 0 / 15 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 15 | 0 / 15 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 15 | 0 / 15 |
Outcome results
Primary
Associative Memory Assessed by a Face Name Associate Memory Experiment
All participants performed a face memory task .The face stimuli consisted of 120 grayscale pictures of human faces. Only faces with a neutral expression facing forward were selected. Half of the faces were male, and the other half were female. The face-name association memory task was divided into (1) an encoding phase, (2) a consolidation phase, and (3) a retrieval phase. During the encoding phase, participants studied 60 successively presented face-name pairs and were instructed to assess their gender to keep them focused to the task. The encoding phase was followed by a consolidation phase where participants were instructed to sit still, relax, and think about nothing in particular for 10 minutes, During the retrieval phase, participants were presented with 60 old and 60 new faces and were instructed to assess whether they have seen this face during the encoding phase. The outcome was the percent of Correct Name to Face Matches
Time frame: Associate Memory is assessed after a 10 minutes break following the study phase
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active tDCS | Associative Memory Assessed by a Face Name Associate Memory Experiment | 44.22 Percent of Correct Name to Face Matches | Standard Deviation 11.54 |
| Sham tDCS | Associative Memory Assessed by a Face Name Associate Memory Experiment | 35.44 Percent of Correct Name to Face Matches | Standard Deviation 12.04 |
p-value: <0.049ANOVA