Investigating the Effects of Intensity of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Subjective Appetite
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Registration Number
- NCT04994379
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Messina
- Brief Summary
This is a randomized double-blind sham controlled systematic investigation to understand the importance of the brain region that controls the tongue and the submental muscle region on perceived appetite. The results of this study can have clinical implications for a phenomenon called hyperphagia.
- Detailed Description
After explaning all the procedure and the scientific aims of the project to participants and completing the informed consent form, each participant will be randomly asked to take part in the experiment while fasting for at least 6 hours or completely sated, to enable an investigation of the role of the basic level of hunger on the effects of brain stimulation on subjective appetite. Different intensities of stimulation (1 mA, 1.5 mA, and sham) will be used in three separate groups, to which participants will be randomly assigned, in a double-blind manner.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- TERMINATED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 64
- Normal weight, based on the Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Males and females between 18 and 35
- Use of psychoactive drugs
- Presence of metal implants in the brain, skull, scalp or neck
- Use of pacemaker
- Neurological or psychiatric pathologies
- History of severe head injury
- Pregnancy
- Clinical obesity based on BMI
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in the subjective rating of appetite Baseline measurement in the begninning of the experiment before stimulation versus post stimulation, exactly after the stimulation protocol has finished (with an approximate time interval of 1 hour) A visual analogue scale (VAS; from 0 meaning not hungry at all, to 100 meaning extremely hungry), will be used to record the perceived level of hunger before and after the stimulation to enable evaluation of the effects of stimulation on perceived appetite.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in excitability of the submental muscle region in primary motor cortex Baseline measurement in the begninning of the experiment before stimulation versus post stimulation, exactly after the stimulation protocol has finished (with an approximate time interval of 1 hour) Recording motor evoked potentials from the area of the submental region of the motor cortex in addition to a control site (APB muscle), to allow for comparisons of the amplitude of MEPs before and after stimulation to draw conclusions about the effect of stimulation and its contribution to the potential behavioral modulations of tDCS
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
University of Messina
🇮🇹Messina, Sicily, Italy
University of Messina🇮🇹Messina, Sicily, Italy