Modulation of Cognitive Control by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

December 29, 2013 updated by: Christian Plewnia, MD, University Hospital Tuebingen

Modulation of Cognitive Control in Healthy and Depressed Subjects by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Insufficient cognitive control over emotional distracters is characteristic for major depressive disorder (MDD). Hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is associated with this deficit. In this study the investigators assess the effect of an enhancement of dlPFC activity in MDD patients by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive control.

In a double-blinded, balanced randomized, sham-controlled crossover trial the investigators determine the effect of a single-session tDCS to the left dlPFC on cognitive control in MDD patients and healthy controls. To assess the cognitive control the investigators use a delayed response working memory (DWM) task with pictures of varying valence presented during the delay period.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

44

Phase

  • 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

  • Germany
      • Tübingen, Germany
        • Universitiy Hospital Tübingen

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 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age > 18
  • informed consent
  • in the patients group: Major depressive disorder, no antidepressant medication or stability over 1 week

Exclusion Criteria:

  • seizures
  • cardiac pacemaker
  • deep brain stimulation

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 Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) 20min, 1mA, F3 (EEG 10/20), reference right M. deltoideus
Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS); DC-STIMULATOR (NeuroConn GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany)
Sham Comparator: Sham transcranial direct current stimulation
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) 40s, 1mA, F3 (EEG 10/20), reference right M. deltoideus
Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS); DC-STIMULATOR (NeuroConn GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Correctness of response
Time Frame: The primary outcome measure is obtained during the intervention (20min tDCS or sham stimulation).
The primary outcome measure is obtained during the intervention (20min tDCS or sham stimulation).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Reaction time
Time Frame: The secondary outcome measure is obtained during the intervention (20min tDCS or sham stimulation).
The secondary outcome measure is obtained during the intervention (20min tDCS or sham stimulation).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital Tuebingen

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

July 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 23, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 25, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

July 30, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 31, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 29, 2013

Last Verified

December 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 211/2010BO1_1

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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