NCT04582994

Brief Summary

The project aims to study the neural basis of Mental Time Travel (MTT), i.e. the ability to travel back and forth in time. It has been proposed that the self-projection in time is similar to the self-projection in space, emphasizing the role of spatial navigation in MTT. Indeed, the posterior parietal cortex, a key region for visual imagery in space-related tasks, and the temporo-parietal junction, a key region for mental projection, are both recruited by self-projection in time and space. However, the specific neural computation of the two processes remains unclear. One way to address this is by investigating the brain oscillations that may modulate MTT. One plausible candidate for MTT processing are beta oscillations because of their role in the production and perception of short temporal intervals, as opposed to alpha oscillations which correlate with illusory changes in self location in space. Thus, the present project investigates the hypothesis that MTT may rely on posterior parietal cortex's beta oscillations to self-project in time. Moreover, cause previous studies showed a different performance in time processing between young and elderly health population, we want to investigate also if there is a difference between these two populations in the capacity to travel mentally in time.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
30

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2019

Typical duration for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2019

Completed
1.7 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

October 4, 2020

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

October 12, 2020

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 31, 2021

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 26, 2021

Completed
Last Updated

September 29, 2023

Status Verified

April 1, 2021

Enrollment Period

2 years

First QC Date

October 4, 2020

Last Update Submit

September 28, 2023

Conditions

Healthy Population

Keywords

Time Perception; Mental Time Travel; tACS; Brain Stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in Mental Time Travel Task.

    Participants see 420 stimulus faces of different ages, one at a time. Each face is presented with a short phrase describing a particular life event, commonly happening in middle age. Participants perform a 2-alternative forced choice: in the 'Past Projection condition', they indicate if it is "likely" or "unlikely" that the stimulus person has lived the life event 10 years ago, in the 'Future projection condition' that the stimulus person will live the event 10 years in the future. A psychometric curve will be computed on the proportions of Likely responses, both in the "Future-projection" and in the "Past-projection" condition. We will assess the change in performance between Alpha , Beta and Sham tACS stimulation. Beta-Alpha and Sham tACS stimulation will be delivered in a randomized order in three different days.

    at day 1, day 2 and day 3

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Time Reproduction Task

    at day 1

  • Change in Age Estimation task

    at day 1, day 2, day 3

Study Arms (2)

Young participants

30 young participants will perform the Mental Time Travel task while tACS stimulation is delivered at three different frequencies on the posterior parietal cortex. Interventions are administered in three different sessions in a pseudo-randomized order as described below: 1. Day 1. Beta tACS (22Hz) 2. Day 2. Alpha tACS (10 Hz) 3. Day 3. Sham tACS

Behavioral: Beta tACSBehavioral: Alfa tACSBehavioral: Sham

Old participants

30 old participants will perform the Mental Time Travel task while tACS stimulation is delivered at three different frequencies on the posterior parietal cortex. Interventions are administered in three different sessions in a pseudo-randomized order as described below: 1. Day 1. Beta tACS (22Hz) 2. Day 2. Alpha tACS (10 Hz) 3. Day 3. Sham tACS

Behavioral: Beta tACSBehavioral: Alfa tACSBehavioral: Sham

Interventions

Beta tACSBEHAVIORAL

participants perform the Mental Time Travel task (duration 20 minutes), while tACS stimulation is delivered at Beta frequencies (22 Hz)

Old participantsYoung participants
Alfa tACSBEHAVIORAL

participants perform the Mental Time Travel task (duration 20 minutes), while tACS stimulation is delivered at Alfa frequencies (10 Hz)

Old participantsYoung participants
ShamBEHAVIORAL

participants perform the Mental Time Travel task (duration 20 minutes), while Sham tACS stimulation is delivered

Old participantsYoung participants

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 33 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

Two groups of healthy partcipants. Age between 20-30 for the first group and age between 60-80 for the second group

You may qualify if:

  • age between 20-30 for the first group and age between 60-80 for the second group

You may not qualify if:

  • generalized cognitive impairment (score lower than 24 at the Mini Mental State Examination)
  • psychiatric disorders
  • additional neurological disorders
  • abusive use of alcohol or illicit drugs
  • Personal or familiar history of epileptic fits

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Center for study and reaserch in Cognitive Neuroscience

Cesena, ITA, 47521, Italy

Location

Related Publications (5)

  • Anelli F, Avanzi S, Arzy S, Mancuso M, Frassinetti F. Effects of spatial attention on mental time travel in patients with neglect. Cortex. 2018 Apr;101:192-205. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.012. Epub 2018 Feb 2.

    PMID: 29482017BACKGROUND

  • Arzy S, Collette S, Ionta S, Fornari E, Blanke O. Subjective mental time: the functional architecture of projecting the self to past and future. Eur J Neurosci. 2009 Nov;30(10):2009-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06974.x. Epub 2009 Nov 11.

    PMID: 19912333BACKGROUND

  • Wiener M, Parikh A, Krakow A, Coslett HB. An Intrinsic Role of Beta Oscillations in Memory for Time Estimation. Sci Rep. 2018 May 22;8(1):7992. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26385-6.

    PMID: 29789611BACKGROUND

  • Lenggenhager B, Halje P, Blanke O. Alpha band oscillations correlate with illusory self-location induced by virtual reality. Eur J Neurosci. 2011 May;33(10):1935-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07647.x. Epub 2011 Mar 13.

    PMID: 21395867BACKGROUND

  • D'Angelo M, Frassinetti F, Cappelletti M. The Role of Beta Oscillations in Mental Time Travel. Psychol Sci. 2023 Apr;34(4):490-500. doi: 10.1177/09567976221147259. Epub 2023 Feb 16.

    PMID: 37067986RESULT

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Interventions

salicylhydroxamic acid

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
OTHER
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

October 4, 2020

First Posted

October 12, 2020

Study Start

February 1, 2019

Primary Completion

January 31, 2021

Study Completion

March 26, 2021

Last Updated

September 29, 2023

Record last verified: 2021-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

IT(1)