Modulation of Visual-Spatial Learning in Healthy Young Adults by tDCS

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Young Adults
• Interventions: Device: tDCS; Behavioral: training

• Registration Number: NCT02110407
• Lead Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) leads to an improvement of learning and memory in healthy young adults and to examine the underlying neuronal mechanism.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2014-02-13
• Study Start: 2014-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-04-08
• Study First Posted: 2014-04-10
• Primary Completion: 2017-01
• Study Completion: 2017-05
• Status Verified: 2017-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-07-26
• Last Update Posted: 2017-07-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

• right handednesss
• unobtrusive neuropsychological screening
• age: 18-35 years

Exclusion Criteria

• severe internal or psychiatric disease
• epilepsy
• other severe neurological disease, e.g. previous major stroke, brain tumor
• DMS-IV manifest dementia
• contraindication for MRT (claustrophobia, metallic implants, tattoos)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
training + sham stimulation	tDCS	Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with sham stimulation
training + sham stimulation	training	Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with sham stimulation
training + tDCS	tDCS	Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
training + tDCS	training	Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
performance in LOCATO task (visual-spatial learning and memory) after a combination of intensive visual-spatial training and tDCS	immediately after end of a 3 day period of training in tDCS condition vs sham condition	Investigation whether the combination of intensive visual-spatial training (LOCATO task) and tDCS leads to improvement of visual-spatial learning and memory measured by the performance in LOCATO task after end of a 3 day period of training compared to sham stimulation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
long term effects	after 1 month vs baseline	long term effetcs measured by performance in LOCATO task after end of training and after 1 month compared to control conditions
functional changes: Connectivity	after end of 3-day cognitive training vs baseline	Connectivity (measured by resting-state fMRT and correlation analysis) at baseline compared to end of training
cortical excitability	at baseline	cortical excitability measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Quality of Life	after 1 month vs baseline	quality of life as measured by standardized questionaire at baseline compared to quality of life measured 1 month after intervention (training and stimulation vs. training and sham-stimualtion)
memory	immediately after end of 3-day of cognitive training, after 1 month vs. baseline	memory performance tested at baseline compared to memory performance after the end of a 3-day cognitive training period and after 1 month (posttraining) in training and stimulation vs. training and sham stimulation
genotyping of learning related polymorphisms	once	To assess predictors of positive reaction to brain stimulation, genotyping of several learning related polymorphisms will be performed (i.e., APOE, BDNF Val66Met, COMT Val158Met).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin; 🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany