Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Free Will

NCT00029653 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 02010102-N-0101
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 10
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate how the brain controls movement by sending messages to the spinal cord and muscles. Healthy normal volunteers 21 years of age or older may participate in this study. They must have no medical, neurological or psychiatric illnesses nor have been taking medications that affect nervous system function. Participants will undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation. For this procedure, an insulated wire coil is placed on the scalp or skin. A brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. If the coil is placed over a nerve or area of the brain that controls muscles, it may cause a muscle twitch, possibly strong enough to move the limb. In other cases, the subject may have a feeling of movement or feel a tingling sensation in a limb. Stimulation over the muscles on the side of the head may cause some discomfort in that area or twitching of the jaw. During the stimulation, the subject may be asked to tense certain muscles slightly or perform other simple actions. The electrical activity of the muscles activated by the stimulation will be recorded using metal electrodes taped to the skin over the muscle. In most cases, the study takes less than 3 hours.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Frontal Lobe; Reaction Time; Movement Preparation; Motor Threshold; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Motor Cortex; Healthy Volunteer; Normal Control; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Normal adult volunteers who are 21 years or older will be eligible. Volunteers who have either any medico-surgical, neurological and psychiatric illnesses, who have been taking any medication with potential influence on nervous system function, who have a pacemaker, an implanted medical pump, a metal plate or a metal object in the skull or eye (for example, after brain surgery), or who have a history of seizure disorder, will be excluded.

Contact the study team to discuss eligibility requirements. They can help determine if this study is right for you.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Prochazka A, Clarac F, Loeb GE, Rothwell JC, Wolpaw JR. What do reflex and voluntary mean? Modern views on an ancient debate. Exp Brain Res. 2000 Feb;130(4):417-32. doi: 10.1007/s002219900250.

  PMID: 10717785 BACKGROUND

• Ammon K, Gandevia SC. Transcranial magnetic stimulation can influence the selection of motor programmes. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1990 Aug;53(8):705-7. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.53.8.705.

  PMID: 2213050 BACKGROUND

• Brasil-Neto JP, Pascual-Leone A, Valls-Sole J, Cohen LG, Hallett M. Focal transcranial magnetic stimulation and response bias in a forced-choice task. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1992 Oct;55(10):964-6. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.55.10.964.

  PMID: 1431962 BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 16, 2002
• First Posted: January 17, 2002
• Study Start: January 1, 2002
• Study Completion: June 1, 2002
• Last Updated: March 4, 2008

Record last verified: 2002-06

Locations

US (1)