rTMS Over S1 Enhance Motor Learning in Healthy People

NCT06262425 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ALC001NR004
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of different repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation protocols for enhancing motor learning in healthy peolple.

Conditions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Motor Learning

Keywords

Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Motor learning; Somatosensory cortex; Motor function

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in accuracy

  Accuracy in associating one letter of the keyboard with a letter from the Phoenician alphabet presented in the screen. It will be measured by using the software PsychoPy, that has been used in other studies for measuring motor learning in an indirect way.

  Change from Baseline to 5 days and 10 days in accuracy

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in reaction time speed

  Change from Baseline to 5 days and 10 days in reaction time speed

• Change in pegs placed in 30 seconds

  Change from Baseline to 5 days and 10 days in days placed in 30 seconds

Study Arms (3)

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary somatosensory cortex

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the experimental group will receive 5 weekly sessions of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for two weeks. An excitatory stimulation over the primary somatosensory area corresponding to the dominant hand will be applied. For this purpose, the motor area will be localized and a coil will be placed 2 cm posterior to it. An isolated pulse will be applied to the motor area to ensure that the coil is not placed over the motor area using 110% of the motor resting threshold. After this, 22 trains of 10 Hz at an intensity of 90% of the motor resting threshold will be applied for 4 seconds, with a rest between series of 10 seconds (a total of 880 pulses). After the stimulation, participants will train with the Forced Response training program for a total of 500 correct repetitions and the Purdue Pegboard Test with 4 repetitions for right hand, left hand and both hands.

Device: repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary somatosensory cortex

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary motor cortex

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the active comparator group will receive 5 weekly sessions of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for two weeks. An excitatory stimulation over the primary motor cortex corresponding to the dominant hand will be applied. For this purpose, the motor area will be localized, and an isolated pulse will be applied to the motor area to ensure that the coil is placed over the motor area using 100% of the motor resting threshold. After this, 22 trains of 10 Hz at an intensity of 90% of the motor resting threshold will be applied for 4 seconds, with a rest between series of 10 seconds (a total of 880 pulses). After the stimulation, participants will train with the Forced Response training program for a total of 500 correct repetitions and the Purdue Pegboard Test with 4 repetitions for right hand, left hand and both hands.

Device: repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary motor cortex

Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants in the sham group will receive 5 weekly sessions of sham repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for two weeks.To achieve the placebo, the localization of the area to be stimulated will be carried out but the coil will be placed in a vertical position so the current will not go through the skull and the patient will just feel the vibration, communicating to the participant that it is likely that during the stimulation process he/she will not feel anything. After the sham stimulation, participants will train with the Forced Response training program for a total of 500 correct repetitions and the Purdue Pegboard Test with 4 repetitions for right hand, left hand and both hands.

Device: sham repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Interventions

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary somatosensory cortex DEVICE

It will be applyed a magnetic field over the Somatosensory cortex of the patient that pretends to hiperexcite the membrans of the neurons inthis area to enhance motor learning

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary somatosensory cortex

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary motor cortex DEVICE

It will be applyed a magnetic field over the primary motor cortex of the patient that pretends to hiperexcite the membrans of the neurons inthis area to enhance motor learning

repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over primary motor cortex

sham repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation DEVICE

It will be applied a sham stimulation with the same protocol that pretends to create the illusion of being stimulated

Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Older than 18 years old and younger than 65

You may not qualify if:

• Presenting any neurological pathology
• Pain during the study
• Any contraindications to rTMS, such as metal implants, history of epileptic seizures or taking medication that lowers the seizure threshold

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Neuron, Spain: lead

Study Sites (1)

Neuron

Madrid, Madrid, 28045, Spain

Location

Study Officials

• Alfredo Lerín Calvo, PhD student

  Neuron, Spain

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 20, 2023
• First Posted: February 16, 2024
• Study Start: January 20, 2024
• Primary Completion: July 15, 2025
• Study Completion: July 15, 2025
• Last Updated: September 2, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

ES (1)