Effects of HD-tDCS During Slow-wave Sleep on Associative Memory

NCT07063264 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HD-tDCS-healthy adults
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 87
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To evaluate the effects of afternoon naps and high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in associative memory (AM)

Conditions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Healthy Adults

Keywords

Associative Memory; High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Slow Wave Sleep; DLPFC

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• face-word assciative memory task score

  In the face-cued word association test, participants viewed 20 grayscale photographs of faces on a computer screen, each shown for 3 seconds. Each photograph was paired with a distinct word, which participants read aloud when shown. Participants were instructed to memorize the word linked to each face. One minute later, participants viewed the same 20 faces in a new random order. They were then asked to recall the associated words. Each face was scored as correct or incorrect, and the total number of correct responses formed the AM score.

  1 hour after the end of the afternoon nap

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) score

  2 hours after the end of afternoon nap

Study Arms (3)

sleep with active stimulation (Sleep-A)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receive active anode HD-tDCS during slow-wave sleep (SWS) of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) at afternoon nap. An anode stimulation electrode will be placed in F3 (10/20 system) which intended to target the left DLPFC, and four cathodes will be placed at FCz, AFz, F7, and C5 (10/20 system)

Device: high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)

sleep with sham stimulation (Sleep-S)

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants will receive afternoon nap with sham stimulation. A 30-s rising current until 2 mA is reached, with a 30-s decline immediately at the beginning and end of the stimulation section

Device: sham high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)

wake with active stimulation (Wake-A)

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants will receive active anode HD-tDCS during wakefulness. They will receive HD-tDCS stimulation for 25 minutes while awake, then spent free time in the sleep monitoring room, remaining awake throughout the napping period

Device: high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)

Interventions

high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) DEVICE

HD-tDCS is described as a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that uses a low-intensity, direct current applied directly to the head through scalp electrodes

sleep with active stimulation (Sleep-A); wake with active stimulation (Wake-A)

sham high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) DEVICE

Sham HD-tDCS was delivered using the same protocol and current intensity, but the period of active stimulation was only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds.

sleep with sham stimulation (Sleep-S)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• aged 18-30 years
• healthy adults

You may not qualify if:

• with pacemakers, skull cavities or cracks；
• intolerance of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) adverse reactions；
• left-handed；
• diagnosed with severe mental disorders, or involved in other experiments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• WANG KAI: lead

Study Sites (1)

Anhui Medical University

Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Director of medical psychological department

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 3, 2025
• First Posted: July 14, 2025
• Study Start: January 12, 2022
• Primary Completion: February 20, 2023
• Study Completion: August 23, 2023
• Last Updated: July 14, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

CN (1)