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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03178344

Effect of tACS Stimulation on Alpha Oscillations

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) is one method that has been demonstrated to enhance alpha oscillations in healthy participants by applying weak electrical currents to the scalp to modulate rhythmic brain activity patterns. This study will involve tACS-induced frontal alpha oscillations, EEG recordings, and other physiological and biological measures.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Ages 18-65
  • Capacity to understand all relevant risks and potential benefits of the study (informed consent)
  • Negative pregnancy test for female participants

Exclusion criteria

  • History of major neurological or psychiatric illness, including epilepsy
  • Medication use associated with neurological or psychiatric illnesses
  • Currently undergoing counseling or psychotherapy treatment for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD or other behavioral conditions
  • First degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with major neurological or psychiatric illness
  • Prior brain surgery
  • Major head injury
  • Any brain devices/implants (including cochlear implants and aneurysm clips)
  • Braids or other hair styling that prevents direct access to the scalp (if removal not possible)
  • Skin allergies or very sensitive skin
  • Pregnant or nursing females
  • Failure to pass a urinary drug test at the first session
  • Use of hormonal birth control or supplements in the past two weeks
  • Non English speakers
  • Cardiovascular disease

Treatment and study plan

XCSITE100 Stimulator tACS

Device

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a method of noninvasive brain stimulation in which weak electrical current are applied to the scalp in a sine wave pattern to induce cortical oscillations at the frequency at which they are applied.

Other names: tACS

XCSITE100 Stimulator Sham

Device

The participant will receive up to one minute of tACS stimulation until the stimulation fades. Sham stimulation mimics the skin sensations a participant would experience during a tACS session.

Other names: Sham tACS

Primary outcomes

  1. Salivary Alpha Amylase

    Time frame: Before and after 40-minute stimulation at each session.

    Change after stimulation

  2. Salivary Cortisol

    Time frame: Before and after 40 minutes of stimulation

    Change before and after stimulation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Heart Rate Variability

    Time frame: Before and after 40-minute stimulation at each session.

    Change in the ratio between the power in low frequency band and the power in high frequency band. As this outcome variable is a ratio between two items that are measured in microvolt^2, the ratio does not have a unit of measure.

  2. Percent Change in Respiration

    Time frame: Before and after 40-minute stimulation at each session.

    Respiration rate, measured via a belt placed around the participant's abdomen as breaths per second.

  3. Electroencephalogram (EEG)

    Time frame: Before and after 40-minute stimulation at each session.

    The investigators will compare alpha oscillation power from resting-state EEG recordings before and after stimulation/sham at each session.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Registry information

Official study title

Rational Optimization of tACS for Targeting Thalamo-Cortical Oscillations (Experiment 2)

Acronym: AIMS1

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Jun 6, 2017
Registry last updated
Feb 26, 2019

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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