Probing TBS-induced Neural Plasticity and Associated Effects on Learning

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

75 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-03-03

Study Completion Date

2020-12-03

Brief Summary

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Recent animal research indicates that excitatory brain stimulation opens a time window of increased neural plasticity that permits remodeling of neural representations. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may thus facilitate learning of new associations by reducing proactive interference but human research is missing. Therefore, it is the aim of this study to investigate the effects of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), a potent form of excitatory brain stimulation, on associative memory. Twenty right handed healthy participants will receive 3 minutes of iTBS or sham stimulation of the left lateral parietal cortex after memorizing a set of 20 face-word associations. Recall capacity will be tested directly before and after stimulation. Participants will then learn a new combination of associations using the same set of stimuli, followed by an evaluation of their recall capacity. It is hypothesized that iTBS compared to sham stimulation will reduce recall capacity directly after the stimulation but increase recall capacity of the newly learned associations due to reduced proactive interference. This study may not only pave the way towards a new understanding of the mechanism of action of brain stimulation, but can also help in developing new treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Healthy

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

single-blind parallel-group crossover design

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Intermittent theta-burst stimulation

iTBS will be performed on the left lateral parietal cortex

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Theta-burst stimulation

Intervention Type DEVICE

iTBS comprises 3-pulse 50-Hz bursts, applied every 200 ms (at 5 Hz) as described previously (Huang, Edwards et al. 2005) and consists of 2-second trains with an inter-train-interval of 8 seconds. We will repeat trains (30 pulses; 10 bursts) for 20 times to reach a total number of 600 pulses per session (3x10x20)

Control stimulation

iTBS will be performed on the vertex

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Theta-burst stimulation

Intervention Type DEVICE

iTBS comprises 3-pulse 50-Hz bursts, applied every 200 ms (at 5 Hz) as described previously (Huang, Edwards et al. 2005) and consists of 2-second trains with an inter-train-interval of 8 seconds. We will repeat trains (30 pulses; 10 bursts) for 20 times to reach a total number of 600 pulses per session (3x10x20)

Interventions

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Theta-burst stimulation

iTBS comprises 3-pulse 50-Hz bursts, applied every 200 ms (at 5 Hz) as described previously (Huang, Edwards et al. 2005) and consists of 2-second trains with an inter-train-interval of 8 seconds. We will repeat trains (30 pulses; 10 bursts) for 20 times to reach a total number of 600 pulses per session (3x10x20)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* education level of primary six or above
* right-handedness
* normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria

* seizures in medical history
* current or past psychiatric disorders or severe internal or neurological illness
* substance abuse or dependence
* intake of medication that is known to affect the excitation threshold

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

35 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes