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HealthyNCT03157869

Influence of Transcranial Direct Stimulation Current on Motor Learning of Young Adults

A study testing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simulated in people with Healthy, run by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital at 1 site in Brazil.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Motor learning occurs with structural and functional modifications in neural networks that meet a certain demand. The improvement of performance in diverse activities is a measure of learning, as well as the generalization and transference of this capacity. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy
What is being tested?
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simulated
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
36 participants
Where
1 siteBrazil
Study dates
3 Apr 2017to 5 Nov 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Young subjects aged between 18 and 35 years, right-hand (evaluated by the Edinburgh Inventory), of both genders, attending the third grade in a private university.

Who cannot join

  • Individuals using central nervous system drugs with uncorrected visual and / or auditory disorders who have any neurological, psychiatric, or orthopedic diseases and who have differentiated finger, musician or typist skills will be excluded.
  • Due to the electrostimulation procedure, individuals who use hair chemistry, individuals who have a metallic implant on the head or a pacemaker, and who have scars in the region to be stimulated will also be excluded.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Maria Elisa P Piemonte, PhD contact

5511982082930

elisapp@usp.br

Andrea P Zomignani, PhD student contact

5511973689130

andreazomi@gmail.com

Brazil1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Center of Research of Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy of São Paulo University

    São Paulo, São Paulo, 05360-000

    Maria Elisa P Piemonte, PhD, 5511982082830, elisapp@usp.br

    Andrea P Zomignani, PhD student

    Recruiting

Other trials in Brazil

About this study

Motor learning occurs with structural and functional modifications in neural networks that meet a certain demand. The improvement of performance in diverse activities is a measure of learning, as well as the generalization and transference of this capacity. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a modulation technique of brain activity that modifies cortical excitability, causing changes in motor evoked potentials that influence motor learning. Modifications similar to the long-term potentiation, essential for learning processes, have also been described after applying tDCS. The primary motor cortex is the area of stimulation where there is more robust evidence in favor of increased motor learning. PURPOSE: to investigate the effects of anodic tDCS on the learning of sequential finger movements in young and healthy individuals.

Read the detailed description

Thirty-six young healthy individuals, right-handed, with no deficits that difficult the performance of the procedures will participate in the study. These individuals will be randomly divided into an experimental group that will perform the motor training of a sequential task of fingers simultaneously to the anodic tDCS on the contralateral motor cortex the trained hand and a control group that will perform the same training simultaneously the stimulation placebo (simulated in the same region of the experimental group). The training will consist of 8 blocks with 300 repetitions of sequential finger movements performed with only the right upper limb. The speed and accuracy of sequential movements will be used as a measure of performance. These measures will be performed prior to training, immediately after, 48 hours, 7 days, and 28 days after trained hand training (TH) for assessment of short and long term learning. In addition, performance evaluations (1) of the reverse-trained sequence in TH will be performed to evaluate the generalization; (2) of the trained sequence in left hand (non-trained) to evaluate the intermanual transfer; and (3) trained sequence in TH in double-task condition to evaluate automaticity. Appropriate statistical methods will be used to identify inter- and intra-group differences.

Conditions
Healthy
Keywords
Learning, Automatism, Motor Activity, Electric Stimulation
Medical subject headings
Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Transcranial Direct Current StimulationDevice

    Anodic tDCS during 20 minutes ON, intensity 2milliamps, on the contralateral motor cortex of the trained hand simultaneously with the motor training. The cathode (negative electrode) will be positioned over the contralateral supraorbital region. It wil be used rubber electrodes covered by a vegetal electrode embedded in saline solution, physiological saline, measuring 5 x 5 cm (25 cm2).

  • SimulatedOther

    Simulated anodic tDCS (only 30 seconds ON), intensity 2milliamps, on the contralateral motor cortex of the trained hand simultaneously with the motor training. The cathode (negative electrode) will be positioned over the contralateral supraorbital region. It wil be used rubber electrodes covered by a vegetal electrode embedded in saline solution, physiological saline, measuring 5 x 5 cm (25 cm2).

Study groups in NCT03157869
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Transcranial Direct Current StimulationExperimental* Intervention: anodic tDCS (20 minutes ON, intensity 2milliamps) on the primary motor cortex contralateral of the trained hand (right) simultaneously to the motor training and supraorbital cathode ipsilateral * Motor training will consist of 8 blocks with 300 repetitions of sequential finger movements performed with the right hand.
Receives: Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
ControlSham comparator* Intervention: simulated anodic tDCS (30 seconds ON, intensity 2milliamps) on the primary motor cortex contralateral of the trained hand (right) simultaneously to the motor training and supraorbital cathode ipsilateral * Motor training will consist of 8 blocks with 300 repetitions of sequential finger movements performed with the right hand.
Receives: Other: Simulated

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Speed

    The speed (number of repetitions in a minute) of sequential movements will be used as a measure of performance. These measures will be performed prior to training, immediately after, 48 hours, 7 days, and 28 days after trained hand training (TH) for assessment of short and long term learning. In addition, performance evaluations (1) of the reverse-trained sequence in TH will be performed to evaluate the generalization; (2) of the trained sequence in left hand (non-trained) to evaluate the intermanual transfer; and (3) trained sequence in TH in double-task condition to evaluate automaticity.

    Measured: Up to 28 days

  2. Accuracy

    The accuracy (number of errors in a minute) in the same way as described to Outcome 1

    Measured: Up to 28 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 May 2017
  2. Study start3 Apr 2017
  3. Primary completion5 Apr 2018
  4. Study completion5 Nov 2018 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
36 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03157869
Sponsor's protocol ID
tDCS1
Status last verified
Oct 2018
First submitted
1 May 2017
Last updated
11 Oct 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simulated in people with Healthy, run by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital at 1 site in Brazil.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Oct 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Brazil. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Maria Elisa P Piemonte, PhD (5511982082930, elisapp@usp.br), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Speed (time frame: Up to 28 days). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Oct 2018.

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