Facilitating Numerical Processing With Transcranial Stimulation in Developmental Dyscalculia

NCT01195961 | Withdrawn

• 2 other identifiers: 10019410-N-0194
• Study Type: observational
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: \- Developmental dyscalculia is a learning disability in which individuals have difficulty learning or comprehending mathematics or other number concepts (such as keeping score during games, measuring time, or estimating distance). Developmental dyscalculia affects certain parts of the brain that are required for processing numbers. Research has shown that a form of brain stimulation called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), applied when healthy individuals are being trained to carry out tasks with numbers, improved the ability to process numbers and solve math problems. More research is needed about whether tDCS can improve number processing in people with developmental dyscalculia. Objectives: \- To examine whether the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation can help individuals with developmental dyscalculia perform mathematical calculations. Eligibility: \- Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who have been diagnosed with developmental dyscalculia, or are healthy volunteers without dyscalculia. Design:

• Participants will have a screening visit and seven study visits. The screening visit and six of the study visits will take place consecutively over the course of 6 days, and the final visit will take place 3 months after the initial participation.
• Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical and neurological examination, and a brief examination to test for dyscalculia and determine the participant's dominant hand.
• Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups for the study. One group will receive tDCS during training to perform a task with numbers, and the other group will receive the same training with sham stimulation. Participants will not know which group they are in.
• During the study visits, participants will be trained on number tasks on 6 consecutive days. Before the tDCS or sham stimulation is applied at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of each training day, participants will perform other tasks with numbers. Participants will be evaluated based on the accuracy and speed with which they respond to the questions.
• At the followup visit, participants will perform the same number tasks they completed during the study visits. No tDCS will be performed at this visit.

Conditions

Cognition Disorder; Brain Mapping

Keywords

Direct Current Stimulation; Learning; Cognitive Enhancement; Cognitive Tasks; Cognitive Training; Developmental Dyscalculia; Learning Disability; Cognition Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• We will include healthy volunteers and DD subjects who meet the following criteria:
• Age 18 to 50 years
• Able to provide informed consent
• No history of math difficulties as determined by Dyscalculia Screener examination \> upper 50th percentile (healthy volunteers)
• Diagnosed with DD and scored \< lower 25th percentile on Dyscalculia screening test (Developmental Dyscalculia subjects)
• Edinburgh handedness inventory shows a laterality index (LI) \> 75 (dexterity) or LI of less than -75 (left-handedness)

You may not qualify if:

• We will exclude healthy volunteers and DD subjects if one of the following conditions applies:
• Unable to perform the tasks due to visual problems
• History of seizures or brain tumor
• History of alcohol or drug abuse (defined as the use of a drug for a nontherapeutic effect ) or psychiatric illness such as severe depression
• History of brain surgery
• Drug treatment acting primarily on the central nervous system, which lowers the seizure threshold such as antipsychotic drugs (chlorprozamine, clozapine).
• Pregnancy

Sponsors & Collaborators

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

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Rubinsten O, Henik A. Developmental dyscalculia: heterogeneity might not mean different mechanisms. Trends Cogn Sci. 2009 Feb;13(2):92-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.002. Epub 2009 Jan 8.

  PMID: 19138550 BACKGROUND

• Cohen Kadosh R, Walsh V. Dyscalculia. Curr Biol. 2007 Nov 20;17(22):R946-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.08.038. No abstract available.

  PMID: 18029243 BACKGROUND

• von Aster MG, Shalev RS. Number development and developmental dyscalculia. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007 Nov;49(11):868-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00868.x.

  PMID: 17979867 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cognition Disorders; Dyscalculia; Learning Disabilities

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Specific Learning Disorder; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 3, 2010
• First Posted: September 6, 2010
• Study Start: August 17, 2010
• Study Completion: July 1, 2011
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-07-01

Locations

US (1)