Synchronization of Theta to Influence Memory (STIM)

August 26, 2026 updated by: George Buzzell, PhD, Florida International University

Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation on Task Performance

This study aims to clarify relations between brain oscillations and two cognitive functions: cognitive control and memory.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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.
90

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

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33199
        • Recruiting
        • Florida International University
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years and older
  • Fluent in English
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • Willing to be photographed

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Must not have ever had an injury to the head that's caused you to be knocked out for a period of time (e.g., from a fall, blow to the head, road traffic accident).
  • Must not have an uncorrected vision or physical disability that interferes with your ability to see stimuli presented briefly on a computer screen or click a mouse button rapidly.
  • Must not have a history of epilepsy, convulsions, or seizures (except childhood febrile seizures).
  • Must not have a history of fainting or syncope.
  • For female participants, they must not be pregnant and/or must not think they might be pregnant.
  • Must not have skin problems like eczema, dermatitis, or open wounds on the scalp.
  • Must not have had prior brain surgery.
  • Must not have any metal located in the head/neck (except for dental work i.e., braces, permanent retainers, etc.)
  • Must not have any devices or other implants located in/near their head. This includes cochlear implants and aneurysm clips, cardiac pacemaker, or any other implanted electronic device.
  • Must not have a current (active) alcohol or substance use disorder, must have no recent history of withdrawal symptoms, and must be able to safely abstain from alcohol and non-prescribed/illicit drugs for at least 24 hours before the session.
  • Must not have any alcohol on the day of the session, must limit alcohol consumption to no more than 2 drinks (if legally permitted) in the prior 24 hours, and must not use any non-prescribed or illicit drugs in the 24 hours before the session.
  • Must not be sick with a fever, sleep-deprived, or feel dizzy, unwell, or intoxicated.
  • Must also have eaten and had fluids but not have consumed more caffeine than they typically consume.
  • Must not be taking anticonvulsant/anti-epileptic drugs or have ever taken them within their lifetime.
  • Must not be taking benzodiazepines or have taken them within the past 3 months.
  • Must not have had a recent change (start, stop, dose change) for any psychiatric/psychotropic medications within the past 3 months.
  • Must not be taking Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, imipramine, clomipramine, etc.), Antipsychotics (clozapine; chlorpromazine, haloperidol, etc.), or Tramadol or have taken them within the past 3 months.
  • Must not have experienced cardiac problems, fibrillation, or have taken medications associated with cardiac conditions within the past 3 months.
  • Must not meet the diagnostic threshold for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, or Psychotic Disorders.

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: Quadruple

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 Stimulation
Participants will be randomized to receive an active STARSTIM treatment or sham treatment.
Device: Sham device
Intervention which uses an inactive form of stimulation via electrodes on the scalp.
Experimental: STARSTIM device treatment (in-phase theta)
Participants will be randomized to receive an active STARSTIM treatment or sham treatment.
Device: STARSTIM Device in-phase
Intervention that uses the Starstim tES device to introduce transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in the form of in-phase theta (~3.5 to ~7.5 Hz) via electrodes on the scalp.
Experimental: STARSTIM device treatment (anti-phase stimulation)
Participants will be randomized to receive an active STARSTIM treatment or sham treatment.
Device: STARSTIM Device anti-phase
Intervention that uses the Starstim tES device to introduce transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in the form of anti-phase stimulation via electrodes on the scalp.

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
The Difference Between Incidental Memory of Faces on Error versus Correct Trials from Baseline to Post Brain Stimulation
Time Frame: Baseline through study visit completion, a maximum of 3 hours
The hit rate for faces that appeared on error trials minus the hit rate for faces that appeared on correct trials.
Baseline through study visit completion, a maximum of 3 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.
Florida International 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 (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.
March 13, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 1, 2031

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 1, 2031

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).
March 5, 2026

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.
March 9, 2026

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.
March 12, 2026

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 27, 2026

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.
August 26, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • IRB-25-0555

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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