Facilitating Associative Memory Via Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the Medial Temporal Lobe

January 24, 2018 updated by: Brainsway
The goal of the proposed research is to map the effects-in particular facilitation-of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) of the Medial Temporal Lobes (MTL) onto the processing of associative memory. TMS technology has the potential to selectively enhance functions mediated by areas in the temporal cortex, including the MTL, known to be the primary neuronal seat of episodic memory. By using this technology the investigators can further our understanding of theoretical models of human memory (specifically regarding the role of Recollection and Familiarity processes), and additionally, provide a possible route to the recovery of some of memory loss typically observed in the elderly-namely, memory for associations. Given the MTL's critical role in human memory and facilitation-inducing qualities of TMS, this research goal is to provide a nonintrusive tool to facilitate memory performance in young and elderly healthy participants.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Our theoretical motivation is to explore the mechanisms underlying recognition memory. Evidence from a variety of paradigms has converged on the notion that recognition memory comprises two processes:

  1. Familiarity, entails item-specific information.
  2. Recollection, entails association-specific information. Evidence suggests that recollection is associated with a network of neuronal regions, including the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, lateral parietal cortex, and the hippocampus. Familiarity, in contrast, is associated with the lateral prefrontal cortex and the peripheral cortex. Critically, for both familiarity and recollection, the vital role of the MTL is strongly implicated. To dissociate between recollection and familiarity, despite stimulating the same location in the brain, the investigators take into account the difference in processing time in which these two processes are known to operate, and use both objective and subjective cognitive tasks to accurately measure effects.

In addition, this research has clinical motivation, which relates to the nature of memory decline in the elderly. If successful, the investigators will be able to set an effective TMS protocol that could be used as a tool to enhance the very types of memories-association-specific memories-that are thought to mediate poor memory performance in the elderly.

To achieve both goals, the proposed experiments will target the MTL using both online stimulation (short-duration stimulation during the presentation of stimuli in recognition memory test) that will enable us to differentiate between effects of familiarity and recollection and offline stimulation mode (repetitive stimulation of several minutes separately from the recognition memory test), with the goal of achieving facilitation effects on memory performance.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy men and women aged 18-85
  • Answered negatively on safety screening questionnaire for TMS
  • Capable and willing to provide informed consent.
  • For participants aged more than 65, normal memory scoring should be obtained in a Nexig test.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of epilepsy or seizure or history of such in first degree relatives.
  • Increased risk of seizure for any reason, including prior diagnosis of increased intracranial pressure, or history of significant head trauma with loss of consciousness for greater than or equal to 5 minutes.
  • History of head injury necessitating cranial surgery or prolonged coma.
  • History of any metal in the head including the eyes and ears (outside the mouth).
  • Known history of any metallic particles in the eye, implanted cardiac pacemaker or any intracardiac lines, implanted neurostimulators, intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or implanted medical pumps.
  • History of severe migraine.
  • History of significant hearing loss.
  • Individuals with a significant neurological disorder.
  • History of substance abuse including alcoholism within the past 6 months (except nicotine and caffeine)
  • Inadequate communication with the participant.
  • Participation currently in another clinical study or enrolled in another clinical study within 30 days prior to this study.
  • Participants who suffer from an unstable physical, systemic and metabolic disorders
  • Women who are breast-feeding
  • Known or suspected pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Single-pulse online stimulation
Online single-pulse online stimulation at 120% of motor threshold to either the right or left MTL, in comparison to sham condition, in either -400/0/400/800 ms relatively to stimulus in either the study or test phases of a recognition test.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
Experimental: Repetitive online stim., 400ms, 10Hz
Repetitive online stimulation for 400ms at 10Hz at 120% of motor threshold to either the right or left MTL, in comparison to sham condition, in either -400/0/400/800 ms relatively to stimulus in either the study or test phases of a recognition test.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
Experimental: Repetitive online stim., 400ms, 20Hz
Repetitive online stimulation for 400ms at 20Hz at 120% of motor threshold to either the right or left MTL, in comparison to sham condition, in either -400/0/400/800 ms relatively to stimulus in either the study or test phases of a recognition test.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
Experimental: Repetitive offline stimulation at 10Hz
Repetitive offline stimulation at 10Hz for 4 min before study or for 8 min before test (in accordance with the phase length), comprising 2-second stimulation trains and 20-second breaks. Stimulation will be given at 120% of motor threshold to either the right or the left MTL in comparison to sham condition.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
Experimental: Repetitive offline stimulation at 20Hz
Repetitive offline stimulation at 20Hz for 4 min before study or for 8 min before test (in accordance with the phase length), comprising 2-second stimulation trains and 20-second breaks. Stimulation will be given at 120% of motor threshold to either the right or the left MTL in comparison to sham condition.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
Experimental: Repetitive offline stimulation with iTBS
Repetitive offline stimulation with Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) comprising 3 pulses at 50Hz, repeated at 5Hz for 2-second stimulation trains with 8-second breaks for 192 seconds. Stimulation will be given at 90% of motor threshold to either the right or the left MTL in comparison to sham condition.
TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in memory based on the timeframe of the online stimulation
Time Frame: One year
For the online stimulation arms, we expect to find a change in memory based on the timeframe of the online stimulation and the cognitive task, namely, we expect to find change in memory for associations when stimulation is at around 800ms, and expect a change in memory for items when stimulation is at around 400ms.
One year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yonatan Goshen, Prof., Tel Aviv University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

January 1, 2015

Study Completion (Anticipated)

June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 7, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 14, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

May 15, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 25, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 24, 2018

Last Verified

January 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TMS-MEMORY-1

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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