Neurophysiological and Functional Mechanisms of Motor Control and Learning

NCT03190590 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 17-00328
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Noninvasive stimulation of the central nervous system, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has been increasingly used in the investigation of cortical plasticity. The purpose of our study is to understand mechanistically-at the neurophysiological and systems levels-how the brain learns new motor skills. We propose to study the acquisition, consolidation, and retention of motor skill learning in healthy subjects. At the behavioral level, we will use movement kinematics to quantify and characterize movement, which allow us to infer functional strategies used by the brain to reduce movement errors. At a neurophysiological level, we will use TMS to document changes in cortical circuitry, which will allow us to infer neuroplastic changes possibly subserving these strategies. At a systems level, we will enhance motor system excitability using tDCS, which will enable us to infer the contribution of the stimulated area to the motor system's ability to learn new skills.

Conditions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Keywords

transcranial magnetic stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Motor skill gain from day 1 to day 5

  defined as an improvement in performance accuracy at fixed movement speeds (see 5.2 for description of task and outcome). The delta in accuracy between day 1 and day 5 equates to motor skill learning.

  5 Days

Study Arms (3)

Transcranial direct current stimulator (tDCS)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

tDCS is delivered noninvasively via electrodes applied to the surface of the head, and a mild electrical current is given during motor training.

Procedure: tDCS-NeuroConn.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

TMS is delivered noninvasively via a hand-held coil applied to the surface of the head, and a magnetic pulse probes cortical circuitry \[this is not repetitive TMS and so does NOT modulate brain excitability.\]

Procedure: TMS - Magstim.

Sham-tDCS

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

delivered by briefly turning on and off the stimulator at the beginning of training, which mimics the sensation of true stimulation.

Procedure: Sham tDCS

Interventions

tDCS-NeuroConn. PROCEDURE

tDCS is delivered noninvasively via electrodes applied to the surface of the head, and a mild electrical current is given during motor training.

Transcranial direct current stimulator (tDCS)

TMS - Magstim. PROCEDURE

TMS is delivered noninvasively via a hand-held coil applied to the surface of the head, and a magnetic pulse probes cortical circuitry \[this is not repetitive TMS and so does NOT modulate brain excitability

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Sham tDCS PROCEDURE

delivered by briefly turning on and off the stimulator at the beginning of training, which mimics the sensation of true stimulation.

Sham-tDCS

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Right-handed dominance
• Ability to give informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• active and/or chronic neurological, psychiatric (including depression), or medical conditions
• psychoactive medication use
• active drug/alcohol dependence or abuse history
• homelessness or other social situation that would preclude consistent visits
• history of head injury (including neurosurgery)
• history of seizure
• inability to comprehend or participate in the procedures involved
• metal in the head (besides in mouth), such as implanted electrodes or devices, shrapnel, surgical clips, or fragments from welding/metalwork
• implanted devices (such as cardiac pacemakers, medical pumps, or intracardiac lines) in the thorax

Sponsors & Collaborators

• NYU Langone Health: lead

Study Sites (1)

New York University School of Medicine

New York, New York, 10016, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Heidi Schambra-Griesemer, MD

  NYU Langone Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 14, 2017
• First Posted: June 19, 2017
• Study Start: March 20, 2018
• Primary Completion: July 18, 2018
• Study Completion: July 18, 2018
• Last Updated: April 29, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Locations

US (1)