Effects of tDCS on Social Cognition in Aging (SoCoStim)

Effects of tDCS on Visual Perspective Taking and Emotion Recognition in Healthy Older Adults

The aim of the study is to explore the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on either the right tempo-parietal junction (rTPJ) or the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) in healthy older adults (replication in a different sample of a study by Martin et al., 2020).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Aging; Social Cognition
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Social Cognition Task; Device: tDCS

Detailed Description

Humans are fundamentally social animals. The ability to operate within large social networks requires considerable cognitive capacity, often referred to as social cognition. One social cognitive process thought to involve embodied and nonembodied processes is perspective-taking. Recently, the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) has been suggested as a key hub for embodied processing relevant to social cognition. A study of Martin et al. (2020) could further provide causal evidence that the right temporoparietal junction is involved specifically in the embodied component of perspective-taking. Specifically, HD-tDCS (high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation) to the right temporoparietal junction, but not another hub of the social brain (dorsomedial PFC), increased the effect of body position during perspective-taking, but not tracking. As social cognition is affected by the aging process and decline of socio-cognitive abilities is a key feature of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, the aim of the present study is to replicate the findings of Martin et al., (2020) in a sample of healthy older adults to better understand the modulation of socio-cognitive processes in older age.

The aim of the study is to explore the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on either the right tempo-parietal junction (rTPJ) or the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) in healthy older adults (replication in a different sample of a study by Martin et al., 2020). 60 healthy older adults and 30 younger participants (serving as a control group) will be tested in a Reading the Eyes in the Mind Task (RMET) and a Task of Visual Perspective Taking (VPT) , while stimulation either the rTPJ or the dmPFC with either active or sham tDCS (stimulation only in the group of older participants). In the RMET the expectation is that older participants have higher reaction times after correct answers under rTPJ tDCS. No stimulation effects of the dmPFC are expected. In the VPT older participants are expected to have a selective effect on body position (similar to the results of Martin et al., 2020) under rTPJ stimulation, but not dmPFC stimulation.

A further focus of the study is how functional and structural connectivity of the brain and individual differences measured with an MRI assessment influence with the success of the RMET and VPT paradigms in an explorative research question.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Greifswald, Germany, 17489
    • University Medicine Greifswald

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy older (60 - 80 years) and younger (18 - 30 years) participants
• German as their main language or sufficient german skills to understand the experiment and the task

Exclusion Criteria:

• participants with neuropsychological or psychiatric disease that affect cognition.
• standard MRI exclusion criteria (e.g. pregnancy, metal implants)
• standard tDCS exclusion criteria (e.g. metal implants in the head)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: dmPFC tDCS + Social Cognition tasks in older participants; Participants will receive either active or sham stimulation over the dmPFC while conducting two different social cognition paradigms: one regarding emotion recognition, one on visual perspective taking.	Behavioral: Social Cognition Task; Two paradigms will be tested: visual perspective taking and reading the mind in the eyes.; Device: tDCS; tDCS either over the dmPFC or the rTPJ.
Experimental: rTPJ tDCS + Social Cognition tasks in older participants; Participants will receive either active or sham stimulation over the rTPJ while conducting two different social cognition paradigms: one regarding emotion recognition, one on visual perspective taking.	Behavioral: Social Cognition Task; Two paradigms will be tested: visual perspective taking and reading the mind in the eyes.; Device: tDCS; tDCS either over the dmPFC or the rTPJ.
Active Comparator: Social cognition tasks in younger participants; Participants will conduct two different social cognition paradigms: one regarding emotion recognition, one on visual perspective taking but without tDCS stimulation.	Behavioral: Social Cognition Task; Two paradigms will be tested: visual perspective taking and reading the mind in the eyes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Response Time in milliseconds in Visual-Perspective Taking Paradigm (VPT) in the active tDCS.	The outcome in the VPT paradigm will be response time in milliseconds (for correct answers only).	at Day 1 or 7 (depends on randomization)
Response Time in milliseconds in Visual-Perspective Taking Paradigm (VPT) in the sham tDCS.	The outcome in the VPT paradigm will be response time in milliseconds (for correct answers only).	at Day 1 or 7 (depends on randomization)
Response Time in milliseconds in the Reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) in the active tDCS.	Outcome in the RMET will be reaction times in milliseconds (of correct answers only) in either rTPJ or dmPFC stimulation in comparison to sham stimulation.	at Day 1 or 7 (depends on randomization)
Response Time in milliseconds in the Reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) in the sham tDCS.	Outcome in the RMET will be reaction times in milliseconds (of correct answers only) in either rTPJ or dmPFC stimulation in comparison to sham stimulation.	at Day 1 or 7 (depends on randomization)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Functional and structural connectivity (via MRI)	It will be investigated how functional and structural connectivity of the brain and individual differences measured with an MRI assessment influence with the success of the RMET and VPT paradigms in an explorative research question.Structural and functional connectivity will be assessed.	MRI Assessment takes places before participants are stimulated with tDCS at Baseline (Day 1).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Medicine Greifswald
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Marcus Meinzer, Dr., Universitymedicine Greifswald

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Martin AK, Kessler K, Cooke S, Huang J, Meinzer M. The Right Temporoparietal Junction Is Causally Associated with Embodied Perspective-taking. J Neurosci. 2020 Apr 8;40(15):3089-3095. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2637-19.2020. Epub 2020 Mar 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 27, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 11, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): November 18, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 2, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 1, 2022
• Last Verified: June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: tDCS; Social Cognition
• Other Study ID Numbers: SoCoStim

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