Inhibitory Control: Effects of Modulation

NCT04247334 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 1352651-9
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 117
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Inhibitory control is relevant to many clinical disorders, including substance abuse/dependence, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. This proposal is designed to assess brain networks related to response inhibition in healthy young adults, and use neuromodulation to change these networks and behavioral performance on a response inhibition task. Having an understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in response inhibition may enable us to improve pre-existing treatments for disorders with inhibitory control difficulties.

Conditions

Young Adults

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• fMRI connectivity at rest

  Changes in resting state connectivity of the inhibitory control information

  2 weeks

• fMRI connectivity during a stop signal task

  Changes in task-based connectivity on the stop signal task

  2 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Cautious Participants

NO INTERVENTION

Participants who have low scores on a self-report of inhibitory control abilities (BRIEF-Inhibit).

Impulsive Participants- Active Stimulation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants who have high scores on a self-report of inhibitory control abilities (BRIEF-Inhibit) who are randomized to active stimulation.

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Impulsive Participants- Sham Stimulation

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants who have high scores on a self-report of inhibitory control abilities (BRIEF-Inhibit) who are randomized to sham stimulation.

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Interventions

Transcranial direct current stimulation DEVICE

20 minutes of 2 milliamp transcranial direct current stimulation

Impulsive Participants- Active Stimulation; Impulsive Participants- Sham Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Low (\<1sd below the mean on the BRIEF-Inhibit) or high (\>1sd above the mean on BRIEF-Inhibit scale)
• English fluency to ensure comprehension of study measures and instructions.

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of medical conditions contraindicated for tDCS, including history of any known intracranial pathology, epilepsy or seizures, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, stroke, implanted medical devices, current pregnancy or women of childbearing age not using effective contraception, or any other serious medical conditions or health problems that would interfere with participation (e.g., skin condition)
• Inability to undergo MRI
• Current substance abuse disorder
• Currently prescribed psychiatric medications.
• Active mania or psychosis

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Butler Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Butler Hospital

Providence, Rhode Island, 02906, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electric Stimulation Therapy; Therapeutics; Convulsive Therapy; Psychiatric Somatic Therapies; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Electroshock; Psychological Techniques

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2020
• First Posted: January 30, 2020
• Study Start: November 14, 2019
• Primary Completion: February 25, 2024
• Study Completion: February 25, 2024
• Last Updated: June 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)