Effects of PFC tDCS on Cognitive Control, Attention Lapses and Coordinated Neural Activity in the Theta and Alpha Bands

Part of paid clinical trials in Sacramento, California.

Sponsor
University of California, Davis
Study ID
NCT04885322
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Healthy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 50 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation — DEVICE
    In tDCS, saline-soaked electrodes are temporary affixed to the scalp and connected to a battery-powered current generator. A weak (2 mA) constant current is then briefly applied (\~20 minutes) to stimulate the targeted brain area. The targeted brain area is determined by the Study Arm.

Study Details

The purpose of this study is to better understand the neural correlates of higher-order cognition, both in the healthy brain and in schizophrenia, and to determine how these mechanisms are modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at frontal and occipital scalp sites. Testing the effects of tDCS at these scalp sites on cognitive task performance will help us understand the roles of the brain regions corresponding to these sites during higher-order cognitive processing (language comprehension, cognitive control, and related attention and memory processes). Behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG) measures will be used to assess cognitive performance. Our overarching hypothesis is that stimulating prefrontal circuits with tDCS can improve cognitive control performance, and ultimately performance on a range of cognitive tasks, as compared to stimulating a different cortical region (occipital cortex) or using sham stimulation. This study is solely intended as basic research in order to understand brain function in healthy individuals and individuals with schizophrenia. This study is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat schizophrenia or any other disease.

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 14, 2021
Status verified
Dec 2025
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2027
Completion
Jun 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
75 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: DLPFC Stimulation
    Intervention. 20 minutes of 2 mA direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
  • Experimental: Occipital Stimulation
    Intervention. 20 minutes of 2 mA direct current stimulation over the occipital cortex.
  • Sham Comparator: Sham Stimulation
    Placebo Comparator. 0.5-1 minutes of 2 mA direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex followed by 19-19.5 minutes of sham stimulation

Primary Outcome Measure

Behavioral Cognitive Control Measures on the Stroop Task [ Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 month ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Imaging Research CenterSacramentoCalifornia95817
Vanessa Zarubin, BS/BA
[email protected]
916-734-3749
Cameron Carter, M.D. (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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By research site
Imaging Research Center· Sacramento, CA

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