Healthy Adults
Conditions
Brief summary
Transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) is a newly developed non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technique from Austria & Germany with highly promising applicability in neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinical trials have shown a beneficial effect of TPS in patients with Alzheimer's disease and depression. However, the mechanism of action of TPS treatment is unknown. There is a lack of controlled studies with sufficient sample size to draw reliable conclusions on the modulatory effect of TPS. The primary motor cortex is a common target when investigating the neuromodulation effect of NIBS techniques. Here, a randomized, cross-over, single-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial is proposed to probe the effects of TPS over the primary motor cortex on modulating motor response and motor behavior.
Interventions
A single session of TPS will be performed, applying 1000 pulses in the session (single ultrashort (3 μs) ultrasound pulses, 0.2-0.25 mJ mm-2, \ 5 Hz pulse frequency)
Sponsors
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 18 to 65 * No physical, neurological or psychiatric disorder * Right-handedness
Exclusion criteria
* Background with neuroscience * TPS and TMS contraindications, including metal implants, pregnancy, coagulation disorders, thrombosis, brain tumor, cortisone therapy up to 6 weeks before first stimulation, pacemakers or cochlear implants.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in movement time in nine-hole peg test after TPS | Immediately after the completion of the single session TPS, 10 minutes after the single session TPS, 20 minutes after the single session TPS, 30 minutes after the single session TPS, 40 minutes after the single session TPS | Primary clinical outcome measure will be a change in movement time in nine-hole peg test after TPS. Less movement time is indicative of greater improvement in hand dexterity and motor function. |
| Change in reaction time in Deary-Liewald reaction time task after TPS | Immediately after the completion of the single session TPS, 10 minutes after the single session TPS, 20 minutes after the single session TPS, 30 minutes after the single session TPS, 40 minutes after the single session TPS | Primary clinical outcome measure will be a change in reaction time in Deary-Liewald reaction time task after TPS. Less reaction time is indicative of greater improvement in motor function. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The influence of motor excitability measured by resting motor threshold (RMT) on post-TPS motor performance | 30 minutes before TPS session, immediately after the completion of the single session TPS, 10 minutes after the single session TPS, 20 minutes after the single session TPS, 30 minutes after the single session TPS, 40 minutes after the single session TPS | The RMT will be measured before the TPS, which is indicative of the motor excitability. The investigators will explore the correlation between the RMT and post-TPS motor performance measured by the nine-hole peg test; as well as explore correlation between RMT and post-TPS motor performance measured by the Deary-Liewald reaction time task. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed