Investigating Accelerated Learning in Healthy Subjects

Healthy Adults Clinical Trial

Official title:

Investigating Accelerated Learning in Healthy Subjects

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Withdrawn

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03055884
• Other study ID #: 17-34
• Status: Withdrawn
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 13, 2017
• Est. completion date: December 22, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: April 2021
• Source: The University of Texas at Dallas
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory performance in healthy subjects, by (1) applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) during a verbal paired-associate learning task and by (2) optimizing the learning method with repeated retrieval practice.

Description:

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name or a word in English and the same word in another language. It is not only important for learning, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer׳s disease. For decades, neuroscientists have investigated associative learning and memory and ways to accelerate and enhance associative learning and memory.

Transcranial Direct Current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and painless electrical stimulation technique that has demonstrated to accelerate learning and improve memory in some studies. Previous research has also emphasized the importance of repeated retrieval practice as a way to accelerate learning and enhance associative memory performance. Therefore, this study will examine the effect of repeated retrieval practice on associative memory performance by using two versions of an associative memory task.

To investigate whether it is possible to accelerate learning and improve associative memory using tDCS and repeated retrieval practice, the performance in a Verbal Paired-Associate memory task during the first visit and 1 week after will be compared for four study groups. The first group will get active tDCS during a version of the verbal paired-associate learning task with repeated retrieval practice. The second group will get active tDCS during a version of the verbal paired-associate learning task without repeated retrieval practice. The third group will get sham tDCS during a version of the verbal paired-associate learning task with repeated retrieval practice and the fourth group will get Sham tDCS during a version of the verbal paired-associate learning task without repeated retrieval practice.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Withdrawn
• Enrollment: 0
• Est. completion date: December 22, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: April 22, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 35 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age: 18-35 years

• Native English Speaker

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of severe head injuries,epileptic insults, or heart disease

• Severe psychiatric disorders and severe untreated medical problems.

• Acquainted with the foreign language used in the learning task

• Contraindications for tDCS (pregnant women, implanted devices)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy Adults

Intervention

Device:
• tDCS
active tDCS versus sham tDCS

Behavioral:
• Verbal paired-associate learning task
with or without repeated retrieval practice

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	The University of Texas of Dallas	Richardson	Texas

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
The University of Texas at Dallas

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Associative Memory assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate memory test	Changes in performance in the Verbal Paired-Associate memory task is compared between the 4 groups (1. tDCS+verbal paired-associate learning task with repeated retrieval practice, 2. tDCS + verbal paired-associate learning task without repeated retrieval practice, 3. Sham tDCS+verbal paired-associate learning task with repeated retrieval practice, 4. Sham tDCS + verbal paired-associate learning task without repeated retrieval practice) to investigate the influence of tDCS and learning method on Associative Memory	baseline and 1 week after the tDCS