NCT04405089

tDCS for Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Obesity

Role of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Decrease Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Individuals With Obesity

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 31 (actual)
• Sponsor: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Even when they know it can improve health, many individuals with loss of control eating struggle when they are trying to make and sustain new health habits for weight loss and maintenance of weight loss. Impulsivity, characterized by lack of foresight and planning and excessive risk taking, and compulsivity, characterized by inability to break old habitual behaviors, may play a role in refractory obesity. The primary objective of this pilot study is to investigate the effect of a novel neuroplasticity based intervention, cognitive training coupled with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on measures of impulsivity and compulsivity in individuals with obesity.

Detailed description

Impulsivity and compulsivity are two psychological factors which contribute to addictive behaviors. Impulsivity is characterized by lack of foresight and planning, and excessive risk taking. Impulsivity is a characteristic of poor executive functioning, and reflects deficits in goal-oriented behavior and self-regulation. Compulsivity is characterized by inability to break old habits. Both of these traits may play a role in refractory obesity. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) coupled with cognitive training may strengthen key circuitry involved in impulse control within the prefrontal cortex. tDCS coupled with cognitive training has the potential to reduce impulsivity and compulsivity in individuals with obesity, with the potential for therapeutic application as a non-pharmacologic approach to management of food-related eating behaviors which may impact weight. For this double-blind, randomized, placebo (sham) controlled study pilot study the investigators aim to recruit and complete studies in approximately 20 individuals, randomly assigned to receive either active or sham tDCS, both coupled with computerized cognitive training tasks, for five days. Additionally, participants will attend follow up visits at approximately 2, and 4 months after the course of intervention visits is completed. Testing pre- and post-intervention will include the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) Depression Screen, and 4 domains of the NIH Examiner Battery. Weight will be tracked throughout the study. The Minnesota Blast Exposure Screening Tool (MN-BEST) is also conducted at baseline.

Conditions

• Impulsivity
• Compulsive Overeating
• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Device: Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) coupled with cognitive training	Cognitive training concurrent with 2 milliamperes (mAmps) of anodal stimulation applied to the right prefrontal cortex for total of 26 minutes.
DEVICE	Device: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) coupled with cognitive training	Cognitive training concurrent with sham tDCS (30 secs ramp up/ramp down of current at beginning of session).

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-05-03
• Primary completion: 2020-06-26
• Completion: 2020-06-26
• First posted: 2020-05-28
• Last updated: 2023-11-07
• Results posted: 2023-11-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study