Using Electroencephalography (EEG) and Transcranial Current Stimulation (tCS) to Study and Modulate Cognition Study

September 29, 2017 updated by: University of Oxford
Inter-individual variability in responsiveness to interventions poses great challenges for translational neuroscience, and health care in general. The investigations sought to examine the potential for high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to modulate sustained attention in a manner that was informed by individual differences in EEG indices.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Inter-individual variability in responsiveness to interventions poses great challenges for translational neuroscience, and health care in general. Reliable and cost- effective screening procedures that can identify individuals who are more likely to benefit from an intervention could have substantial real-world benefits. Here, the investigators sought to examine the potential for high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to modulate sustained attention in a manner that was informed by individual differences in a well-studied electrocortical marker, spontaneous theta/beta ratio. The investigators hypothesized that individuals with relatively high theta/beta ratios, putatively reflecting suboptimal cortical arousal, would be more likely to benefit from the gains in cortical excitability afforded by tRNS. Seventy-two young healthy adults were administered 1mA, 2mA and sham tRNS in a double-blind, randomised, cross-over manner, while they performed a continuous monitoring paradigm. Electroencephalography was acquired before and after each stimulation condition.

This approach may constitute a feasible means of using individual differences in neurophysiology to inform predictions about outcomes from targeted cognitive interventions.

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.
72

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

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

18 years to 35 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria:

- Aged 18-35 years

Exclusion criteria:

  • Left-handedness
  • Visual impairment
  • History of fainting,
  • History of neurological or psychiatric illness,
  • Neurological insult
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Reporting current use of anti- psychotic or anti-depressant medications

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.
SHAM_COMPARATOR: Sham Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The sham tRNS condition involves 30 seconds of 1.5 mA tRNS, with a ramping period of 30 seconds at the onset and offset. This procedure ensures that, in both the Active and Sham conditions, participants experience the sensations associated with the onset of transcranial electrical stimulation (e.g., tingling sensation)
Device: Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The transcranial random noise stimulation was delivered using a StarStim device (Neuroelectrics®, Barcelona, Spain). The electrodes were encased in a pair of saline-soaked sponges (25 cm2 ), and were secured within a Neurolectrics EEG cap over right DLPFC (F4) and right IPL (P4), according to the 10-20 international EEG system. Other details are stated under the 'intervention arm' descriptions.
Other Names:
  • Starstim; Neuroelectrics
EXPERIMENTAL: 1mA Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The 1mA tRNS condition consists of 1 mA peak-to-peak (-.5 mA to .5 mA) high frequency noise (100-500 Hz), with amplitude values that are normally distributed and have a mean of zero. The stimulation is delivered for 20 minutes, with a ramping period of 30 seconds at the onset and offset.
Device: Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The transcranial random noise stimulation was delivered using a StarStim device (Neuroelectrics®, Barcelona, Spain). The electrodes were encased in a pair of saline-soaked sponges (25 cm2 ), and were secured within a Neurolectrics EEG cap over right DLPFC (F4) and right IPL (P4), according to the 10-20 international EEG system. Other details are stated under the 'intervention arm' descriptions.
Other Names:
  • Starstim; Neuroelectrics
EXPERIMENTAL: 2mA Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The only factor that varies for the 2mA tRNS condition is that the high frequency noise has a peak-to-peak of -1 mA to 1mA as opposed to -.5 mA to .5 mA. Again, the stimulation is delivered for 20 minutes, with a ramping period of 30 seconds at the onset and offset.
Device: Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
The transcranial random noise stimulation was delivered using a StarStim device (Neuroelectrics®, Barcelona, Spain). The electrodes were encased in a pair of saline-soaked sponges (25 cm2 ), and were secured within a Neurolectrics EEG cap over right DLPFC (F4) and right IPL (P4), according to the 10-20 international EEG system. Other details are stated under the 'intervention arm' descriptions.
Other Names:
  • Starstim; Neuroelectrics

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
Electroencephalography
Time Frame: 4 minutes
Voltage readings from the scalp
4 minutes

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
Sustained Attention performance
Time Frame: 20 minutes
Sustained Attention performance was defined as response time variability on a continuous monitoring paradigm
20 minutes

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 Oxford

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.
November 1, 2015

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 1, 2016

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 1, 2016

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).
September 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.
September 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.
September 26, 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.
October 3, 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.
September 29, 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.
September 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • C2-2014-033

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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