Modulation of the Parieto-frontal Communication

NCT03434093 | Withdrawn

• 2 other identifiers: 18005418-N-0054
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Background: Research shows that the parietal and prefrontal areas of the brain are involved in short-term memory. Researchers want to look at the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of these areas on short-term memory and brain activity. They will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at brain activity. Objective: To look at the effects of TMS on brain pathways involved in memory. Eligibility: Healthy, right-handed adults ages 18-50 Design: Participants will have 3 or 4 visits at least 1 week apart. They cannot drink alcohol for at least 48 hours before each visit. The screening visit lasts about 1 (Omega) hours. It can be combined with the first testing visit. Screening includes:

• Medical history
• Physical exam
• Neurological exam
• Urine tests
• Questionnaires about being left or right handed and about their ability to imagine physical activities. The first testing visit lasts about 1 (Omega) hours and includes an MRI. For the MRI, participants lie on a table that slides into a machine. They will lie still or perform simple memory tasks on a computer screen. The second and third testing visits last about 3 hours. Participants will have:
• 2 MRIs
• TMS: A wire coil is held to the scalp. A brief electrical current passes through the coil to create a magnetic pulse that affects brain activity. They will perform simple memory tasks.
• EMG: Small electrodes are taped to the skin to record muscle activity while they rest. After the study, participants will complete a questionnaire about any discomfort they experienced during the study. ...

Conditions

Normal Physiology

Keywords

Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS); Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); Electrical Field Modeling; Working Memory

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Resting state functional connectivity change induced by the paired associative stimulation

  Study completion

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Difference in the visual angle error of a working memory task between the DLPFC-PCC and PPC-DLPFC paired associative stimulation

  Study completion

Study Arms (2)

PPC-DLPFC

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In this arm, the TMS paired-pulses will be first delivered over the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and then over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)

Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); Behavioral: Working Memory Task

DLPFC-PPC

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Arm Description: In this arm, the TMS paired-pulses will be first delivered over the over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and then posterior parietal cortex (PPC)

Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); Behavioral: Working Memory Task

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) DEVICE

Description: This will comprise single and repeated paired-pulses delivered over motor and non-motor areas.

DLPFC-PPC; PPC-DLPFC

Working Memory Task BEHAVIORAL

This will consist in remembering an item presented 1 to 5 steps before the inquiry. This task will span the whole duration of the functional MRI acquisition.

DLPFC-PPC; PPC-DLPFC

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Age between 18-50 years.
• Right-handed (handedness questionnaire will be part of the initial evaluation)
• Able to give informed consent.
• Have a normal neurological exam within the last year and MoCA\>27
• Willing and able to abstain from alcohol for at least 48 hours prior to the study.
• Willing to not participate in other rTMS studies in the week preceding visits for the current protocol.

You may not qualify if:

• has metal in his/her body which would make having an MRI scan unsafe, such as pacemakers, stimulators, pumps, aneurysm clips, metallic prostheses, artificial heart valves, cochlear implants or shrapnel fragments, or if he/she was a welder or metal worker, since small metal fragments may be found in the eyes.
• is uncomfortable in small closed spaces (claustrophobia) so that he/she would feel uncomfortable in the MRI machine.
• is not able to lie comfortably on the back for up to 2 hours
• has hearing loss.
• is pregnant.
• Self-reported consumption of \>14 alcoholic drinks/week for a man and \>7 alcoholic drinks/week for a woman.
• History of or current brain tumor, stroke, head trauma with loss of consciousness, epilepsy or seizures.
• Taking medications that act directly on the central nervous system such as anti-epileptics, anti-histamines, anti-parkinsonian medication, medication for insomnia, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication.

Sponsors & Collaborators

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

Related Publications (3)

• Casula EP, Pellicciari MC, Picazio S, Caltagirone C, Koch G. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity in the human dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroimage. 2016 Dec;143:204-213. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.060. Epub 2016 Aug 31.

  PMID: 27591116 BACKGROUND

• Koch G, Ponzo V, Di Lorenzo F, Caltagirone C, Veniero D. Hebbian and anti-Hebbian spike-timing-dependent plasticity of human cortico-cortical connections. J Neurosci. 2013 Jun 5;33(23):9725-33. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4988-12.2013.

  PMID: 23739969 BACKGROUND

• Ma WJ, Husain M, Bays PM. Changing concepts of working memory. Nat Neurosci. 2014 Mar;17(3):347-56. doi: 10.1038/nn.3655. Epub 2014 Feb 25.

  PMID: 24569831 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Magnetic Field Therapy; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Mark Hallett, M.D.

  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 14, 2018
• First Posted: February 15, 2018
• Study Start: February 3, 2019
• Primary Completion: February 25, 2019
• Study Completion: February 25, 2019
• Last Updated: February 28, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-02