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

NCT ID: NCT07063264

Last Updated: 2025-07-14

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 87 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-01-12
• Study Completion Date: 2023-08-23

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)

Detailed Description

Healthy adults will be randomized into three groups: a sleep with active stimulation (Sleep-A) group will receive active anode HD-tDCS during slow-wave sleep (SWS) of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) at afternoon nap, a sleep with sham stimulation (Sleep-S) group will receive afternoon nap with sham stimulation, and wake with active stimulation (Wake-A) group will receive active anode HD-tDCS during wakefulness. An anode stimulation electrode will be placed in F3 (10/20 system) which intend to target the left DLPFC, and four cathodes will be placed at FCz, AFz, F7, and C5 (10/20 system). The face-word AM task and other multidimensional neuropsychological tasks will be performed before and after afternoon napping.

Conditions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Healthy Adults

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

sleep with active stimulation (Sleep-A)

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)

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

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

Intervention Type: 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 sham stimulation (Sleep-S)

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

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

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

Intervention Type: 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.

wake with active stimulation (Wake-A)

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

Group Type: SHAM_COMPARATOR

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

Intervention Type: 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

Interventions

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

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

Intervention Type: DEVICE

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

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.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• aged 18-30 years
• healthy adults

Exclusion Criteria

• 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.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

WANG KAI

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

WANG KAI

Director of medical psychological department

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Anhui Medical University

Hefei, Anhui, China

Countries

China

Other Identifiers

HD-tDCS-healthy adults

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id