Investigating Accelerated Learning in Healthy Subjects: Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation

Investigating Accelerated Learning in Healthy Subjects

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory performance in healthy subjects, by applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) targeting the trigeminal nerve during a verbal paired-associate learning task

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Healthy Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS

Detailed Description

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name or a word in English and the same word in another language. It is not only important for learning, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer׳s disease. For decades, neuroscientists have investigated associative learning and memory and ways to accelerate and enhance associative learning and memory.

Transcranial Direct Current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and painless electrical stimulation technique that has demonstrated to accelerate learning and improve memory in some studies. To investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory using tDCS, the performance in a Verbal Paired-Associate memory task of 2 groups will be compared. The first group will get active tDCS during the verbal paired-associate learning task. The second group will get sham tDCS during the verbal paired-associate learning task.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Richardson, Texas, United States, 75080
      • The University of Texas of Dallas

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Native English Speaker

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of severe head injuries, epileptic insults, or heart disease.
• Severe psychiatric disorders and severe untreated medical problems
• Acquainted with the foreign language used in the learning task
• Contraindications for tDCS (e.g. pregnant, implanted devices)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active tDCS; Active transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve	Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve
Sham Comparator: Sham tDCS; Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve	Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Neuroconn DC Stimulator PLUS; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation targeting the trigeminal nerve

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test	Changes in performance in the Verbal Paired-Associate memory task is compared between the 2 groups (1. Active tDCS 2. Sham tDCS) to investigate the influence of tDCS on Associative Memory.	1 week after stimualtion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas at Dallas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 4, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 25, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): January 25, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): May 3, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 3, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2022
• Last Verified: January 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: memory; transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS); accelerate learning
• Other Study ID Numbers: 17-34 TN

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes