Causal Role of Brain Networks in Episodic Memory

NCT05374551 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: R01MH125990
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 41
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to understand the basic brain mechanisms supporting episodic memory in healthy young adults. Transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to influence brain activity in regions thought to be important for episodic memory. Behavioral testing and MRI will be used to measure the effects of stimulation on memory and on changes in brain network interactions, allowing us to draw causal inferences regarding the role of specific brain regions in memory processes.

Conditions

Healthy; Episodic Memory

Keywords

cognitive neuroscience; functional magnetic resonance imaging; transcranial magnetic stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Accuracy on tests of episodic memory

  Participants will complete tasks where they encode and retrieve events. Episodic memory quality will be assessed as the accuracy with which they can recall scene details associated with each event.

  Tasks will be completed during the hour following stimulation.

• Task-related functional connectivity among posterior medial brain regions

  Psychophysiological interaction analyses will be used to assess task-related functional connectivity while participants complete the memory retrieval task. This will identify interactions among brain regions that are associated with successful memory retrieval.

  Functional connectivity will be assessed during the hour following stimulation.

Study Arms (1)

All participants

OTHER

All participants will complete all experimental conditions, which include transcranial magnetic stimulation (continuous theta-burst stimulation) to a brain region of experimental interest and to a control brain region.

Other: Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Interventions

Transcranial magnetic stimulation OTHER

Transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to stimulate brain activity in a brain region of experimental interest (lateral parietal cortex) and in a control brain region (vertex). All participants will experience both forms of stimulation, in separate sessions. Stimulation will be applied as a probe to understand the basic phenomenon of how brain processes support episodic memory.

Also known as: Continuous theta-burst stimulation

All participants

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Ages 18 to 35 years old
• Fluent in English
• Free of major neurological or psychiatric illness
• Right-handed
• Normal or corrected to normal vision

You may not qualify if:

• History of a psychiatric illness within the past two years
• History of a learning disorder (e.g., attention deficit disorder, dyslexia)
• History of neurological disorder or brain injury, including family history of epilepsy, convulsions or seizures, stroke; vascular, traumatic, tumoral, infectious, or metabolic lesion of the brain, even without a history of seizure, and without anticonvulsant medication, and any unexplained lifetime loss of consciousness/syncope
• Use of medications that reduce seizure threshold (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, neuroleptic agents)
• History of neurosurgery
• History of heart disease
• Recreational drug use in the past two months
• Uncontrollable shaking, or inability to sit/lie still for one hour
• Evidence of neurological disorders or structural abnormalities, based on MRI
• Pregnancy
• Prior surgeries, conditions, and/or implants that are not MRI-safe, including: pacemaker, pacemaker wires, artificial heart valve, brain aneurysm surgery, middle ear implant, non-removable hearing aids, braces, or extensive dental work, implanted mechanical or electrical device, artificial limb or joint
• Foreign metallic objects in the body, such as bullets, BBs, shrapnel, or metalwork fragments
• History of metal work or ocular metallic foreign bodies
• History of uncontrolled migraines or susceptibility to headaches
• Use of centrally-acting medications and drugs, with the exception of caffeine, within the last 12 hours

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Boston College: lead

Study Sites (1)

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Magnetic Field Therapy; Therapeutics

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 29, 2022
• First Posted: May 16, 2022
• Study Start: October 6, 2023
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2025
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

US (1)