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How Many Days Would You Want to Practice a Skill to Achieve it?

NCT ID: NCT03249961

Last Updated: 2020-10-27

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

27 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-04-20

Study Completion Date

2020-08-31

Brief Summary

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Practice is required to improve your shot in basketball or to play a musical instrument. The learning of these motor skills can be further enhanced by non-invasively stimulating regions of the brain that control movements with electrical currents. These electric currents can strengthen or weaken connections of the brain, which consequently affects a person's ability to improve their performance on a skill. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is widely applied in many disciplines of neuroscience research, and has potential therapeutic application. There are two specific types of NIBS that will be used in this research study: 1) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), which applies very weak electrical currents via two rubber electrodes on the scalp, and 2) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which applies magnetic pulses via a coil against the head, to stimulate regions of the brain. Both types of non-invasive brain stimulation (i.e., tDCS, and TMS) are well-tolerated, painless, and safe. The application of tDCS to brain regions that control movements, concurrently with practice of a skill, results in better skill performance, than practice alone with no tDCS. Therefore, in this study, we will be testing different types of brain stimulation and different amounts of practice.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Motor Learning

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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Placebo Brain stimulation

Participants will receive Sham TDCS, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Sham TDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Placebo stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.

Excitatory Brain Stimulation

Participants will receive Anodal TDCS, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Anodal TDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Excitatory stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.

Interventions

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Sham TDCS

Placebo stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Anodal TDCS

Excitatory stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Healthy

Exclusion Criteria

* prior history of neurological or psychiatric disease
* prior experience with the motor task used
* contraindications to TMS and TDCS (e.g., metal implants, history of seizures and headaches)
* musculoskeletal injury to upper limb
* drugs that interact with NIBS (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

44 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Joyce Chen, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Sunnybrook Research Institute

Locations

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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Countries

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Canada

Other Identifiers

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175-2017

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id