Supporting Episodic Memory With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Healthy Controls and Dementia Patients

February 25, 2020 updated by: University of Bern

Supporting Episodic Memory With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Healthy Young and Elderly Participants as Well as in Individuals With Memory Impairment

Previous studies showed that anodal tDCS applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) improved episodic memory performance, indicating a possible use as an intervention for patients suffering from memory impairments. At the same time, only scant evidence (provided by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)) exists regarding the underlying mechanisms, thus hindering a more targeted application.

The present study aims at establishing a connection between the stimulation-induced change in episodic memory performance on the behavioural level and neurophysiological parameters. TDCS effects and the underlying mechanisms will be compared between different study conditions, receiving either real anodal tDCS or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during an episodic memory task.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
55

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
      • Bern, Switzerland, 3000
        • University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 85 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written informed consent
  • Right-handedness
  • Non-smokers
  • Native German speakers or comparable level of fluency
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Neurological or psychiatric condition (other than diagnosed cognitive impairment)
  • Past head injuries
  • Magnetizable implants
  • History of seizures
  • Current or life-time alcohol or drug abuse
  • Pregnancy
  • Skin diseases

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: CROSSOVER
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: Real - sham anodal tDCS

Session 1: 20 min of 1 mA anodal tDCS applied via 5x7 cm rubber electrodes over the DLPFC (current density: 0.028 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase at beginning and end of stimulation lasting for 15 s. Electrodes remain attached to the participant's head for the duration of the encoding phase.

Session 2: 30 s of 1 mA anodal tDCS applied via 5x7 cm rubber electrodes over the DLPFC (current density: 0.028 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase at beginning and end of stimulation lasting for 15 s. Electrodes remain attached to the participant's head for the duration of the encoding phase.
Device: real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used in the study.
Device: sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used in the study.
EXPERIMENTAL: Sham - real anodal tDCS

Session 1: 30 s of 1 mA anodal tDCS applied via 5x7 cm rubber electrodes over the DLPFC (current density: 0.028 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase at beginning and end of stimulation lasting for 15 s. Electrodes remain attached to the participant's head for the duration of the encoding phase.

Session 2: 20 min of 1 mA anodal tDCS applied via 5x7 cm rubber electrodes over the DLPFC (current density: 0.028 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase at beginning and end of stimulation lasting for 15 s. Electrodes remain attached to the participant's head for the duration of the encoding phase.
Device: real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used in the study.
Device: sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used in the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Episodic memory performance - learning curve
Time Frame: 0.25 hours
Number of encoded words during the three consecutive immediate retrievals in the encoding phase
0.25 hours
Episodic memory performance - delayed recall 1
Time Frame: 20 min after encoding phase
Number of remembered words in the delayed recall after a short delay at the day of the on-site visit
20 min after encoding phase
Episodic memory performance - delayed recall 2
Time Frame: 1 day after on-site visit
Number of remembered words one day after learning
1 day after on-site visit

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neurotransmitter levels
Time Frame: 0.5 hours
Changes in neurotransmitter levels (gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamatergic metabolites (Glx) due to tDCS (comparing pre- and post-stimulation measurements in DLPFC)
0.5 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Bern

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Stefan Klöppel, Prof, University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

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 (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2017

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 18, 2019

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 19, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 19, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 21, 2017

First Posted (ACTUAL)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 24, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 28, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 25, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 3351
  • 2016-02175 (OTHER: Cantonal Ethics Committee Bern)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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