Investigating Accelerated Learning and Memory in Healthy Subjects Using a Face Name Memory Task

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Adults
• Interventions: Device: tDCS; Device: sham tDCS

• Registration Number: NCT03309072
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Texas at Dallas

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.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2017-09-27
• Study First Submitted: 2017-10-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2017-10-12
• Study First Posted: 2017-10-13
• Results First Submitted: 2020-04-22
• Results First Submitted QC: 2020-08-24
• Results First Posted: 2020-09-11
• Status Verified: 2022-01
• Primary Completion: 2022-01-25
• Study Completion: 2022-01-25
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-01-27
• Last Update Posted: 2022-02-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

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)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
active tDCS	tDCS	active tDCS with Face Name associate Memory task
sham tDCS	sham tDCS	sham tDCS with Face Name associate Memory task

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The University of Texas of Dallas; 🇺🇸 Richardson, Texas, United States