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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03564353

Investigating Memory in Healthy Subjects Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether we can improve associative memory performance in healthy subjects, by applying transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) during a verbal paired-associate learning task

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Adults

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The University of Texas of Dallas

Richardson, Texas, 75080, United States

About this study

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name or a word in English and the same word in another language. It is not only important for learning, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer's disease. For decades, neuroscientists have investigated associative learning and memory and ways to accelerate and enhance associative learning and memory.

Transcranial Direct Current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and painless electrical stimulation technique that has demonstrated to accelerate learning and improve memory in some studies. To investigate whether it is possible to improve associative memory using tDCS, the performance in a Verbal Paired-Associate memory task of 4 groups targeting different areas will be compared.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age: 18-35 years
  • Native English Speaker

Exclusion criteria

  • History of severe head injuries, epileptic insults, or heart disease.
  • Severe psychiatric disorders and severe untreated medical problems.
  • acquainted with the foreign language used in the learning task
  • Contraindications for tDCS (pregnant women, implanted devices)

Treatment and study plan

tDCS

Device

tDCS

Primary outcomes

  1. Associative Memory Assessed by a Verbal Paired-Associate Test

    Time frame: Baseline and 1 week after the tDCS

    Participants got the opportunity to learn the list of 75-word pairs across a total of eight alternating study (S) and test (T) periods. Participants came back for a final test session (all 75 words tested) 7 days later and were asked to give the English translations of Swahili words. A score was calaculated based on the percentage of words (English trnaslations) correctly recalled words.

Interested in participating?

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Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas at Dallas

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Jun 20, 2018
Registry last updated
Feb 3, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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