NCT03723850

Effect of Noninvasive Electrical Brain Stimulation on Memory at Different Times of Day in Younger and Older Adults

Effect of Noninvasive Electrical Brain Stimulation on Memory Performance at Different Times of Day in Younger and Older Adults

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 271 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Chicago · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will investigate the extent to which tDCS to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (or dlPFC) impacts memory performance as a function of time-of-day in younger and older adults.

Detailed description

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is the safest and most accessible, non-invasive brain stimulation technique available for testing causal links between different brain regions and functions, by manipulating cognitive abilities. By identifying key experimental factors that can improve the reliability and robustness of stimulation effects on cognitive performance in different age groups, this project should lead to the widespread adoption of these design features in future applications. This study will investigate the extent to which tDCS to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (or dlPFC) impacts recollection accuracy and working memory performance as a function of time-of-day in younger and older adults. Moreover, this study will test the extent that tDCS to dlPFC impacts memory performance by impacting information-specific processes and/or cognitive control processes that operate across different types of information, thereby informing basic theories of how dlPFC contributes to memory in younger and older adults.

Conditions

• Effect of tDCS on Memory in Older and Younger Adults

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Active tDCS	The brain is stimulated for 20 minutes with mild electrical current (maximum 2 mA) with two 7 cm x 5 cm electrodes placed on the scalp, using a standard 1x1 tDCS Clinical Trials device (Soterix Medica, NY), specialized for double-blinding.
DEVICE	Sham tDCS	The brain is not stimulated for 20 minutes with mild electrical current, but instead a sham procedure is administered using a standard 1x1 tDCS Clinical Trials device (Soterix Medica, NY), specialized for double-blinding.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-03-08
• Primary completion: 2022-12-15
• Completion: 2022-12-15
• First posted: 2018-10-30
• Last updated: 2024-05-14
• Results posted: 2024-05-14

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study