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Combined Regulatory Effects of 40 Hz eTNS and Multisensory Stimulation on Brain Networks

28 juni 2026 uppdaterad av: Xidian University

A Study on the Enhancing Effects of 40 Hz Combined Trigeminal-Sensory Stimulation on Working Memory

The purpose of this study is to investigate the independent and interactive effects of 40Hz auditory, visual, and external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) on brain state dynamics and functional connectivity. While 40Hz visual and auditory sensory stimulation have been explored for potential cognitive and therapeutic benefits, the underlying mechanisms on large-scale brain networks and the potential effects of combining multiple modalities remain unclear.

This study aims to determine whether multimodal co-stimulation genuinely compounds network-level effects or if targeted dual-pairings are more efficient for brain network reorganization. In this within-subject study, 23 participants will receive all eight possible combinations of 40Hz auditory, visual, and eTNS (targeting the maxillary branch) in a randomized order. Each stimulation condition will last for 5 minutes, separated by 1-minute inter-stimulus intervals. Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) will be recorded throughout the procedures to evaluate brain responses. The collected EEG data will be analyzed using microstate analysis, functional connectivity analysis, and graph-theoretic network analysis. Ultimately, the study seeks to understand how these non-invasive stimulation techniques, independently and together, drive large-scale network reorganization and optimize the balance between local specialization and global integration in the brain.

Studieöversikt

Detaljerad beskrivning

Physical neuromodulation at 40 Hz has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach, with visual and auditory stimulation demonstrating the capacity to entrain gamma oscillations and confer cognitive benefits. Analogous effects have also been observed with electrical approaches, including external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS). While the prevailing assumption in the field suggests that combining multiple sensory modalities will more comprehensively recruit distributed brain circuitry and yield greater therapeutic effects, the mechanistic foundations of this additive hypothesis remain contested. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that network-level reorganization, rather than localized gamma entrainment, may represent a more causally relevant substrate for these cognitive improvements.

This study is designed to systematically characterize the independent and interactive effects of 40Hz auditory, visual, and eTNS stimulation on brain state dynamics, functional connectivity, and graph-theoretic network properties. The trial employs a fully crossed 2×2×2 within-subject design. A total of 23 participants will undergo all eight possible combinations of 40Hz stimulation modalities: sham (no stimulation), auditory only, visual only, eTNS only, auditory + visual, auditory + eTNS, visual + eTNS, and the three-way combination of auditory + visual + eTNS.

During the experimental session, the eTNS will specifically target the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve. The eight stimulation conditions will be administered in a randomized order for each participant. Each stimulation block will last for 5 minutes, separated by 1-minute inter-stimulus intervals to prevent carry-over effects.

Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) will be recorded throughout the session using a 32-channel eego™ mylab system (ANT Neuro, Netherlands) to capture real-time cortical responses. Following data acquisition, standard preprocessing pipelines will be applied, including notch filtering, 0.5-45Hz bandpass filtering, average re-referencing, ICA-based artifact rejection, and bad channel interpolation.

Studietyp

Interventionell

Inskrivning (Beräknad)

30

Fas

  • Inte tillämpbar

Kontakter och platser

Det här avsnittet innehåller kontaktuppgifter för dem som genomför studien och information om var denna studie genomförs.

Studiekontakt

Studera Kontakt Backup

Studieorter

    • Shaanxi
      • Xi'an, Shaanxi, Kina, 71000

Deltagandekriterier

Forskare letar efter personer som passar en viss beskrivning, så kallade behörighetskriterier. Några exempel på dessa kriterier är en persons allmänna hälsotillstånd eller tidigare behandlingar.

Urvalskriterier

Åldrar som är berättigade till studier

  • Vuxen
  • Äldre vuxen

Tar emot friska volontärer

Ja

Beskrivning

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy adults aged ≥18 years old.
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing (essential for 40Hz visual and auditory stimulation).
  • Right-handedness.
  • Willing to participate in the study and capable of providing written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Personal or family history of epilepsy or seizures (crucial safety criteria for 40Hz flicker and electrical stimulation).
  • History of any neurological or psychiatric disorders.
  • Presence of metallic implants in the head, cardiac pacemakers, or other implanted electronic medical devices.
  • Skin lesions, infections, or hypersensitivity at the eTNS stimulation site (maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve).
  • Current use of psychoactive medications or substances that may significantly alter EEG signals or brain state dynamics.
  • Pregnant or lactating individuals.
  • Poor sleep quality or irregular sleep-wake cycles prior to the experiment.

Studieplan

Det här avsnittet ger detaljer om studieplanen, inklusive hur studien är utformad och vad studien mäter.

Hur är studien utformad?

Designdetaljer

  • Primärt syfte: Grundläggande vetenskap
  • Tilldelning: N/A
  • Interventionsmodell: Enskild gruppuppgift
  • Maskning: Ingen (Open Label)

Vapen och interventioner

Deltagargrupp / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Experimentell: Experimental Crossover Group
All participants are enrolled in this single crossover arm. Each participant will receive all eight combinations of 40Hz stimulation (auditory, visual, and external trigeminal nerve stimulation [eTNS] targeting the maxillary branch) in a randomized order, including a sham condition. Each stimulation condition lasts for 5 minutes, separated by 1-minute inter-stimulus intervals.
Electrical stimulation targeting the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve at a frequency of 40 Hz
Auditory sensory stimulation delivered at 40 Hz for 5-minute durations
Visual sensory stimulation delivered at a frequency of 40 Hz for 5-minute durations
Inactive control stimulation designed to mimic the sensory experience of the active modalities without delivering actual 40 Hz therapeutic stimulation

Vad mäter studien?

Primära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Tidsram
Whole-Brain Functional Connectivity (Phase-Locking Value)
Tidsram: Day1 (during the single experimental session)
Day1 (during the single experimental session)

Sekundära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
EEG Microstate Dynamics (Mean Duration and Segment Density)
Tidsram: Up to 1 hour (during the single experimental session)
Brain state dynamics evaluated via microstate analysis of global field power (GFP) peaks. Primary metrics extracted include the mean duration and segment density (occurrence rate per minute) of identified microstate classes to assess modality-specific regulation.
Up to 1 hour (during the single experimental session)
EEG Phase-Locking Value (PLV)-Derived Global Efficiency
Tidsram: Day1 (during the single experimental session)
Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) data will be recorded. The specific parameter extracted from the EEG is the Phase-Locking Value (PLV) across theta (4-7Hz), alpha (8-12Hz), beta (13-30Hz), and gamma (31-45Hz) frequency bands. These PLV functional connectivity matrices will be used to construct weighted brain networks across a sparsity threshold range of 0.1 to 0.5. Global efficiency, a graph-theoretic metric representing network-wide communication integration, will then be calculated and reported based on these PLV networks.
Day1 (during the single experimental session)
EEG Phase-Locking Value (PLV)-Derived Small-World Propensity
Tidsram: Day 1 (during the single experimental session)
Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) data will be recorded. The specific parameter extracted from the EEG is the Phase-Locking Value (PLV) across theta (4-7Hz), alpha (8-12Hz), beta (13-30Hz), and gamma (31-45Hz) frequency bands. These PLV functional connectivity matrices will be used to construct weighted brain networks across a sparsity threshold range of 0.1 to 0.5. Small-world propensity, a graph-theoretic metric evaluating the balance between local network specialization and global integration, will then be calculated and reported based on these PLV networks.
Day 1 (during the single experimental session)

Samarbetspartners och utredare

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Samarbetspartners

Utredare

  • Huvudutredare: Xue-Juan Yang, Xidian University

Studieavstämningsdatum

Dessa datum spårar framstegen för inlämningar av studieposter och sammanfattande resultat till ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter och rapporterade resultat granskas av National Library of Medicine (NLM) för att säkerställa att de uppfyller specifika kvalitetskontrollstandarder innan de publiceras på den offentliga webbplatsen.

Studera stora datum

Studiestart (Faktisk)

16 juni 2026

Primärt slutförande (Faktisk)

22 juni 2026

Avslutad studie (Beräknad)

23 juni 2026

Studieregistreringsdatum

Först inskickad

12 juni 2026

Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

21 juni 2026

Första postat (Faktisk)

25 juni 2026

Uppdateringar av studier

Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)

1 juli 2026

Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

28 juni 2026

Senast verifierad

1 juni 2026

Mer information

Termer relaterade till denna studie

Plan för individuella deltagardata (IPD)

Planerar du att dela individuella deltagardata (IPD)?

NEJ

IPD-planbeskrivning

Individual participant data (IPD), particularly raw continuous electrophysiological recordings (EEG), contains sensitive and potentially identifiable biometric information. In accordance with institutional data security policies and ethical guidelines regarding participant privacy, raw IPD will not be made publicly available. However, aggregated statistical data and summary results will be published in peer-reviewed journals. De-identified, summary-level data or analytical scripts may be shared by the corresponding author upon reasonable academic request, subject to formal institutional review and approval.

Läkemedels- och apparatinformation, studiedokument

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Nej

Studerar en amerikansk FDA-reglerad produktprodukt

Nej

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