Efficacy and Mechanisms of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) - Effects on Working Memory in Schizophrenia
Impairments of cognition are a core, severely disabling feature of schizophrenia leading to poor long-term outcome with no established treatment available.
Particularly impaired executive functions (e.g working memory) are frequently observed and are consistently associated with reduced activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Deficits in those functions have been shown to be closely related to negative symptoms, thought disorder, and functional outcome in schizophrenia leading to the notion that frontal lobe dysfunction is crucially important in schizophrenic psychopathology.
Noninvasive brain stimulation like tDCS can enhance executive functions like working memory in healthy subjects as well as in patients. To identify the optimal parameters for this intervention in patients with schizophrenia, the investigators first test the effects of different polarities (anodal, cathodal), stimulation intensities (1mA, 2mA) and laterality (left, right) on working-memory performance (nback task) in a sham-controlled cross-over design (n=128). To elucidate mechanisms of action, oscillatory brain activity will be registered with electroencephalography (EEG).
These experiments will provide reliable data for an evidence-based development of new clinical interventions to improve treatment of cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia and thus enhance schizophrenia prevention and recovery.
Aperçu de l'étude
Statut
Les conditions
Intervention / Traitement
Description détaillée
Working hypothesis:
In patients with subacute schizophrenia, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) exerts lasting beneficial effects on working-memory performance.
Research question(s):
In patients with remitted early phase schizophrenia, this research project aims at providing evidence for:
i) immediate improvement of working-memory performance by application of tDCS to the dlPFC in patients with schizophrenia; ii) determination of the optimal stimulation polarity, dosage and localization; iii) neurophysiological mechanisms (modulation in oscillatory activity and functional connectivity) and predictors of tDCS effects; iv) modulating effect of gender on the malleability of executive functions with tDCS.
Previous work of the investigators:
The investigators have provided proof-of principle evidence for persisting improvement of cognitive planning by a polarity-specific learning-stage dependent coupling of training and stimulation. The investigators have demonstrated that working memory and deficient cognitive control can be enhanced with anodal tDCS in depression and that the effects of tDCS are modulated by genetic polymorphisms. The investigators were the first to show impaired cortical plasticity following tDCS in schizophrenia patients at different disease states. Finally, the investigators have just successfully finished the world-wide largest clinical trial investigating the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation (rTMS) on negative symptoms in schizophrenia (DFG 241/10-1, Falkai, Hasan).
- Aims and work plan:
To examine the potential of tDCS for the improvement of working memory with remitted schizophrenia the investigators are following this work plan:
I) Immediate effects on performance:
Assessment of efficacy of tDCS polarity (anodal, cathodal), dosage (1mA, 2mA) and laterality (left and right dlPFC) on working memory (adaptive n-back(6)) in patients (n=2x2x2x16=128). In a two-session cross-over design, stimulation (tDCS and sham) will be applied to the dlPFC (left or right) for 20min (during task performance).
Type d'étude
Inscription (Anticipé)
Phase
- N'est pas applicable
Contacts et emplacements
Coordonnées de l'étude
- Nom: Christian Plewnia, MD
- Numéro de téléphone: ++49 (0)7071-2986121
- E-mail: christian.plewnia@uni-tuebingen.de
Lieux d'étude
-
-
-
Muenchen, Allemagne
- Recrutement
- LMU Muenchen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
-
Contact:
- Alkomiet Hasan, MD
-
Tuebingen, Allemagne, 72076
- Recrutement
- University Hospital Tuebigen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
-
Contact:
- Christian Plewnia, MD
- Numéro de téléphone: +49 7071 29 86121
- E-mail: christian.plewnia@uni-tuebingen.de
-
-
Critères de participation
Critère d'éligibilité
Âges éligibles pour étudier
Accepte les volontaires sains
Sexes éligibles pour l'étude
La description
Inclusion Criteria:
- diagnosed schizophrenia (DSM-V)
- age (18 - 60 years)
- right handedness
- stable medication during 1 week of treatment and 1 week before
Exclusion Criteria:
- history of seizures
- metal device throughout the body
- pregnancy
- use of anticonvulsive medication
- use of benzodiazepines more than 1 mg of Lorazepam equivalent
- current substance abuse (nicotine excluded)
Plan d'étude
Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?
Détails de conception
- Objectif principal: Science basique
- Répartition: Randomisé
- Modèle interventionnel: Affectation croisée
- Masquage: Double
Armes et Interventions
Groupe de participants / Bras |
Intervention / Traitement |
|---|---|
|
Comparateur actif: Transcranial direct current stimulation
tDCS with varying intensity, location and polarity
|
Autres noms:
|
|
Comparateur placebo: Sham stimulation
Double blind sham stimulation with sham mode of neuroConn device
|
Autres noms:
|
Que mesure l'étude ?
Principaux critères de jugement
Mesure des résultats |
Description de la mesure |
Délai |
|---|---|---|
|
Change of dprime
Délai: Assessment during stimulation in a n-back task at three specific timepoints during one week
|
dprime provides the separation between the means of the signal and the noise distributions, compared against the standard deviation of the signal plus noise distributions
|
Assessment during stimulation in a n-back task at three specific timepoints during one week
|
Mesures de résultats secondaires
Mesure des résultats |
Délai |
|---|---|
|
Change of reaction time in n-back task
Délai: Assessment during stimulation in a n-back task at three specific timepoints during one week
|
Assessment during stimulation in a n-back task at three specific timepoints during one week
|
Collaborateurs et enquêteurs
Parrainer
Collaborateurs
Les enquêteurs
- Chercheur principal: Christian Plewnia, Prof., MD, University Hospital Tuebingen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Dates d'enregistrement des études
Dates principales de l'étude
Début de l'étude
Achèvement primaire (Anticipé)
Achèvement de l'étude (Anticipé)
Dates d'inscription aux études
Première soumission
Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Première publication (Estimation)
Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude
Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)
Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
Dernière vérification
Plus d'information
Termes liés à cette étude
Termes MeSH pertinents supplémentaires
Autres numéros d'identification d'étude
- 01EE1407H
Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)
Prévoyez-vous de partager les données individuelles des participants (DPI) ?
Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude
Étudie un produit pharmaceutique réglementé par la FDA américaine
Étudie un produit d'appareil réglementé par la FDA américaine
produit fabriqué et exporté des États-Unis.
Ces informations ont été extraites directement du site Web clinicaltrials.gov sans aucune modification. Si vous avez des demandes de modification, de suppression ou de mise à jour des détails de votre étude, veuillez contacter register@clinicaltrials.gov. Dès qu'un changement est mis en œuvre sur clinicaltrials.gov, il sera également mis à jour automatiquement sur notre site Web .