Effects of Cathodal tDCS on Executive Functions in Autism (TRANSFEX)

July 31, 2017 updated by: Centre Hospitalier du Rouvray

Pilot Study Investigating the Effects of Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Executive Functions of Patients With Autism Without Mental Retardation. TRANSFEX Study

It's an interventional, prospective and monocentric pilot study concerning adult patients with autism without mental retardation.

The primary outcome is to assess the effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on the executive functions of patients with autism without mental retardation or with Asperger syndrome.

The secondary outcomes are to evaluate the safety of this treatment and to evaluate its impact on impaired social communication and on restricted or repetitive behaviors.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

The patients concerned by the study are aged 20 to 50 years old. They meet ICD-10 criteria for autism without mental retardation or Asperger syndrome and they have adaptive capacity and autonomy complaints. They stable treatments for at least 4 weeks prior and during all the study and no history of tDCS. Women of childbearing age with no adequate contraception, pregnant or lactating women are excluded.

This is an interventional, prospective and monocentric pilot study. The patient is informed about the clinical study during the psychiatric consultation. The patient is provided with a cooling-off period of several days. During the inclusion visit, the executive functions of the patient are assessed (WSCT, Stroop, TMT A and B and verbal fluency test). If 2 pathological tests are found among all measured scores: administration of ISDC and EC2R (interview of the person accompanying) and planning of the first tDCS session 15 days later. If no pathological test is found : study exit.

The treatment consists in 10 sessions of cathodal tDCS applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at 2mA. Each session lasts 15 minutes. They are 2 sessions per day.

Ten days after the end of tDCS treatment, patients are assessed for executive functions and behavioral dysexecutive functions (EC2R and ISCD).

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 (Anticipated)

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.
22

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • With ICD-10 criteria for autism without mental retardation or Asperger syndrome;
  • Patient with adaptive capacity and autonomy complaints.
  • Patients with stable treatments for at least 4 weeks prior and during all the study;
  • Patient with no history of tDCS;
  • Patients affiliated to a social security system;
  • Patients who give their informed written consents;
  • For women of childbearing age: effective contraception; required (estrogen and progestogen or intra-uterine device or tubal ligation) for at least 1 month before starting treatment (a negative pregnancy test has been obtained).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Skin disease, dementia, history of epileptic seizures, brain tumor or metallic implants/implanted electrical devices.
  • Patients who followed à cognitive remediation program during the last 6 months;
  • Subjects currently treated with magnetic or electrical stimulation techniques (e.g.: transcutaneous or root stimulation).
  • Women of childbearing age with no adequate contraception, pregnant or lactating women;
  • Patients participating or having participated in an interventional clinical trial within 30 days prior to the inclusion visit;
  • Subjects who are deprived of their liberty by decision of a judicial or administrative authority.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: treated arm
Patients received cathodal tDCS applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at 2 mA during 15 minutes. They have 10 sessions in 5 consecutive days, 2 sessions per day.
Device: tDCS
cathodal tDCS applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at 2mA during 15 minutes

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
Cognitive dysexecutive functions
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in Wisconsin Card Sorting test between assessment at day 1(inclusion) and assessment at day 30 (end of the study).
30 days

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
Score changes in the tDCS adapted version of the Udvalg pour Kliniske Undersøgelser (UKU) Side Effect Rating Scale
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in the tDCS adapted version of the Udvalg pour Kliniske Undersøgelser (UKU) Side Effect Rating Scale between assessment at day 1 (inclusion), assessment at day 20 and assessment day 30 (end of the study).
30 days
Behavioral dysexecutive functions
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in the behavioral dysexecutive syndrome battery (Inventaire du Syndrome Dysexécutif Comportemental, ISDC) and the restricted and repetitive behaviors rating scale (Echelle d'évaluation des Comportements Répétitifs et Restreints, EC2R) between assessment at day 1 (inclusion) and assessment at day 30 (end of the study) (interview of the person accompanying).
30 days
Trail Making Test A and B
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in the Trail Making test A and B between assessment at day 1 (inclusion) and assessment at day 30 (end of the study).
30 days
Stroop Test
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in the Stroop between assessment at day 1 (inclusion) and assessment at day 30 (end of the study).
30 days
Verbal Fluency Test
Time Frame: 30 days
Score changes in Verbal Fluency Test between assessment at day 1 (inclusion) and assessment at day 30 (end of the study).
30 days

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.
Centre Hospitalier du Rouvray

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.
December 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

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.
August 1, 2017

Study Completion (Anticipated)

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.
August 1, 2017

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).
June 21, 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 31, 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.
August 1, 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.
August 1, 2017

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.
July 31, 2017

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.
June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 2016-A00805-46

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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