Treatment of Cognitive Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis With High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

NCT ID: NCT05958381

Last Updated: 2025-08-14

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 100 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-10-18
• Study Completion Date: 2027-06-30

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to test whether low level electric stimulation, called transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), on the part of the brain (i.e., presupplementary motor area) thought to aid in memory will improve verbal retrieval in multiple sclerosis patients. The primary outcome measures are neuropsychological assessments of verbal retrieval, and the secondary measures are neuropsychological assessments of other cognitive abilities and electroencephalography (EEG) measures. Additionally, the study will examine the degree to which baseline assessments of cognition and concussion history predict responses to treatment over time, both on assessments administered within the intervention period and at follow-up.

Detailed Description

Using two treatment arms, the study will examine improvement of verbal retrieval and other cognitive deficits associated with multiple sclerosis by comparing (1) 1 milliamp transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) active treatment applied to presupplementary motor area for 20 minutes over 10 sessions to (2) sham tDCS following the same schedule. Additionally, after completing the initial active or sham treatment and immediate and 2-month follow-up testing sessions, selected participants will be invited back for newly assigned treatment conditions, 20 minutes over 10 sessions and will be re-evaluated at immediate and 2-month follow-up testing sessions.

Patients with multiple sclerosis and observed cognitive deficits will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment arms (and re-assigned for the second round of intervention, as described above). Primary outcome verbal retrieval measures, secondary neuropsychological and electroencephalography (EEG) measures, and prescreening assessments for study concussion history and contraindications for treatment will be collected prior to being assigned to a treatment arm (i.e., baseline).

Primary outcome verbal retrieval measures and secondary neuropsychological and electroencephalography (EEG) measures will be at baseline and two times following treatment competition (i.e., immediate and 2-months). For participants selected for the second round of intervention, primary outcome verbal memory measures and secondary neuropsychological and electroencephalography (EEG) measures will be collected again two times immediately following completion of the last treatment and 2-months afterward.

Conditions

Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Transcranial direct current stimulation

Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds.

Other Names:

tDCS

1 milliamp tDCS High definition tDCS High definition transcranial direct current stimulator, Neuroelectrics Starstim tES, SN E20200930-10

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds.

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.

Group Type: SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim tES. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

tDCS; Sham tDCS

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

º Diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)

º Memory retrieval deficit based on neuropsychological testing done in our lab

º Must be fluent in speaking and reading English.

Exclusion Criteria

º Relapse or acute MS exacerbation or a course of steroids in the two months preceding the testing

º Participants using benzodiazepines must have been on a stable dose for at least two months

º Potentially confounding psychological or neurological disorder, including:

• dementia of any type
• epilepsy or other seizure disorders
• severe traumatic brain injury
• brain tumor
• present drug abuse
• stroke
• blood vessel abnormalities in the brain
• Parkinson's disease
• Huntington's disease

º inability to give informed consent

º cranial implants

º skull defects that affect tDCS administration

º use of medications that interact with or potentially interact with tDCS effects, including:

• anti-convulsants
• L-dopa
• carbamazepine
• sulpiride
• pergolide
• lorazepam
• rivastigmine
• dextromethorphan
• D-cycloserine
• flunarizine
• ropinirole
• stimulants (dextroamphetamine/amphetamine/modafinil/armodafinil) must be stopped during enrollment

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

The University of Texas at Dallas

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

John Hart, Jr.

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

John Hart, Jr, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Texas at Dallas

Locations

The University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson, Texas, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Ashna Adhikari, MS

Role: CONTACT

Ashna.Adhikari@UTDallas.edu

972-833-3161

Jill Ritter, BS

Role: CONTACT

jill.ritter@utdallas.edu

972-833-3161

Facility Contacts

Jill Ritter, BS

Role: primary

neurolab.memory@utdallas.edu

972-833-3161

Other Identifiers

HT94252310618

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

E04675.1a

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

23-521

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id