tES Effects on Associative Memory Performance

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effects of Transcranial Electric Stimulation on Associative Memory Formation in Healthy Elderly Participants as Well as in Individuals With Memory Impairment

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03351452
• Other study ID #: 2017-01197
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 9, 2018
• Est. completion date: February 24, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: March 2020
• Source: University of Bern
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Previous studies showed that transcranial electric stimulation (tES) applied over the prefrontal cortex improves cognitive performance in healthy elderly adults as well as in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, tES methods might be a useful intervention tool for patients suffering from memory impairment in early terms of the disease.

The present study aims at establishing a connection between the stimulation-induced changes on associative memory performance and its underlying neurophysiological parameters. tES effects and their underlying mechanisms will be compared between healthy elderly controls and clinical study populations receiving either real or sham tES over the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during an associative memory task.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 28
• Est. completion date: February 24, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 60 Years to 85 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent

• Non-smokers

• Right-handedness

• Native German speakers or comparable level of fluency

• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological or psychiatric condition (other than diagnosed cognitive impairment)

• Past head injuries

• Magnetizable implants

• History of seizures

• Current or life-time alcohol or drug abuse

• Skin diseases

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease
• Cognitive Dysfunction
• Healthy
• Mild Cognitive Impairment

Intervention

Device:
• real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.
• real transcranial alternating current stimulation
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.
• sham transcranial electric current stimulation
The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy	Bern

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Bern

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Performance on cued recall task	Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items	follow-up after 24 hours
Other	Performance on recognition task	Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items	follow-up after 24 hours
Primary	Performance on immediate cued recall task	Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items	20 min
Primary	Performance on delayed cued recall task	Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items	24 hours
Secondary	task-dependent BOLD activity	Measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)	20 min
Secondary	resting-state BOLD activity	Measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)	10 min