NCT06547086

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether stimulating the brain with electrical current during naps can increase certain kinds of brain activity that happen during sleep and lead to improvements in emotional health and stress resilience. Participants will attend up to 3 study visits, each of which may last up to 4-5 hours. During these visits, participants will wear a high density electroencephalography (hdEEG) cap and take a nap.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
72

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable healthy-volunteers

Timeline
Completed

Started Jul 2024

Typical duration for not_applicable healthy-volunteers

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

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 10, 2024

Completed
22 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

August 1, 2024

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 9, 2024

Completed
1.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

February 6, 2026

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 6, 2026

Completed
Last Updated

February 19, 2026

Status Verified

February 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

1.6 years

First QC Date

August 1, 2024

Last Update Submit

February 17, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

Regular nap taker

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (11)

  • Identify effective TES-TI parameters to trigger spindles

    Researchers will do a power analysis on high density EEG data for spindle frequency (11-15Hz) and see if there is increase in this frequency range during/post stimulation.

    Post nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Identify effective TES-TI parameters to trigger spindles

    Researchers will do a power analysis on high density EEG data for sawtooth wave frequency (3-5Hz) and see if there is increase in this frequency range during/post stimulation.

    Post nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Identify effective duration of the nap to maximize TES-TI effect on REM sleep

    Researchers will compare the durations of nap (sleep duration on the EEG) within subjects across their multiple visits, as well as across subjects; correlating this with the stimulation parameters

    Post nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in spindles after effective TES-TI intervention

    Changes in sleep spindle density during sleep as measured by portable EEG device.

    Post nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in sawtooth waves after effective TES-TI intervention

    Researchers will do a power analysis on high density EEG data for sawtooth wave frequency (3-5Hz) and see if there is increase in this frequency range during/post stimulation.

    Post nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in score for vigilance task

    The vigilance task is a computerized reaction time task where participants are presented with a fixation point on a computer screen. At random, the fixation point will change appearance at which point the participant is to click a provided button as quickly as possible. The latency response is recorded automatically. Faster responses are indicative of higher vigilance.

    Baseline to post-nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in sleep quality and mood

    Sleep quality and mood will be assessed using the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire (REST-Q), a 9-item questionnaire assessing aspects of restorative sleep. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale, scores range from 9-45. A higher score indicates a more restorative sleep

    Baseline to post-nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in sleepiness

    Sleepiness will be measured using the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS). SSS is a measure of subjective alertness on a 7-point scale. A lower score on the scale indicated higher alertness.

    Baseline to post-nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in emotion response

    Emotional response is measured using an emotional processing task. This task involves viewing a series of emotionally charged images (60 positive, 60 negative, 60 neutral). Participants see a randomized set of these images and are asked to evaluate how pleasant and emotionally arousing each image is on respective 9-point Likert scales

    Baseline to post-nap (up to 90 minutes)

  • Change in Spectral Power in Sawtooth Wave Frequency (3-5Hz)

    Baseline to 4 weeks

  • Change in minutes scored as REM sleep

    EEG data will be recorded during sleep. The sleep EEG data is separated into stages (REM-NREM). This way, it is known how many minutes they spend in each stage.

    Baseline to 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Stimulation followed by no stimulation

EXPERIMENTAL

Phase 2 participants will receive stimulation during their nap at the first visit, and no stimulation during their nap at the second visit.

Device: Transcranial electrical stimulation with Temporal Interference (TES-TI)

No stimulation followed by stimulation

EXPERIMENTAL

Phase 2 participants will not receive stimulation during their nap at the first visit, and receive stimulation during their nap at the second visit.

Device: Transcranial electrical stimulation with Temporal Interference (TES-TI)

Interventions

TES-TI uses specific electrode arrangement patterns to selectively stimulate the brain. Participants will wear an hdEEG (high density electroencephalography) cap which will allow intermittent periods of stimulation from TES-TI.

No stimulation followed by stimulationStimulation followed by no stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 50 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Adults aged 18-50 years
  • Medically healthy
  • English-speaking (able to provide consent and complete questionnaires)
  • Citizen or holding permanent resident status
  • Regular napper (1 or more naps per week)

You may not qualify if:

  • Any current or past history of neurological disorders or acquired neurological disease (e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury), including intracranial lesions
  • History or head trauma resulting in prolonged loss of consciousness; or a history of \>3 grade 1 concussions
  • Current history of poorly controlled headaches including intractable or poorly controlled migraines
  • Any systemic illness or unstable medical condition that may cause a medical emergency in case of a provoked seizure (cardiac malformation, cardiac dysrhythmia, asthma, etc)
  • History of seizures, diagnosis of epilepsy, histoy of abnormal (epileptiform) EEG, or family history of treatment resistant epilepsy with the exception of a single seizure of benign etiology (e.g. febrile seizures) in the judgment of a board-certified neurologist
  • Possible pregnancy or plan to become pregnant in the next 6 months
  • Any metal in the body
  • Any medical devices or implants (i.e. cardiac pacemaker, medication infusion pump, cochlear implant, vagal nerve stimulator) unless otherwise approved by the responsible MD
  • Dental implants containing metal
  • Any medication that may alter seizure threshold: ADHD stimulants (Adderall, amphetamine); tricyclic/stypical antidepressants (amitriptyline, doxepine, imipramine, maprotiline, nortriptyline, buproprion); antipsychotics (chlorpromazine, clozapine); bronchodilators (theophylline, aminophylline); antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, imipenem, penicillin, cephalosporins, metronidazole, isoniazid); Antivirals (valacyclovir, ritonavir); OTC antihistamines (diphenhydramine, Benadryl)
  • Claustrophobia (a fear of small or closed places)
  • Back problems that would prevent lying flat for up to two hours
  • Regular night-shift work (second or third shift)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electric Stimulation TherapyTherapeuticsConvulsive TherapyPsychiatric Somatic TherapiesBehavioral Disciplines and ActivitiesElectroshockPsychological Techniques

Study Officials

  • Giulio Tononi, PhD

    University of Wisconsin, Madison

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

August 1, 2024

First Posted

August 9, 2024

Study Start

July 10, 2024

Primary Completion

February 6, 2026

Study Completion

February 6, 2026

Last Updated

February 19, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations