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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03197181

Frontopolar Cortex and Motivation in Healthy Older Adults

Motivation represents a core aspect of goal-directed behavior as it determines how much effort individuals are willing to invest to reach their goals. While research on effort-based decision-making focuses mainly on effort preferences in younger adults, loss of motivation might be a key component of the apathetic tendencies frequently seen in older adults. However, an open question refers to which brain mechanisms underlie motivational processes in older adults. The investigators have recently shown that the frontopolar cortex plays a crucial in motivating the exertion of rewarded effort in younger adults. The goal of the current study is to determine whether frontopolar cortex plays a crucial role for motivation also in older adults and may thus be a promising target for improving the motivation deficits in healthy aging. Participants perform computer-based experimental tasks measuring the propensity to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards. During task performance, participants receive anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over their frontopolar cortex. The study tests whether tDCS over frontopolar cortex allows modulating participants' motivation to engage in rewarded effort.

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Key information

Conditions

Motivation in Healthy Older Adults

Age range

65 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Zurich

Zurich, 8006, Switzerland

About this study

Motivation represents a core aspect of goal-directed behavior as it determines how much effort individuals are willing to invest to reach their goals. While research on effort-based decision-making focuses mainly on effort preferences in younger adults, loss of motivation might be a key component of the apathetic tendencies frequently seen in older adults. However, an open question refers to which brain mechanisms underlie motivational processes in older adults. The investigators have recently shown that the frontopolar cortex plays a crucial in motivating the exertion of rewarded effort in younger adults (Soutschek et al., 2018, Biological Psychiatry). The goal of the current study is to determine whether frontopolar cortex plays a crucial role for motivation also in older adults and may thus be a promising target for improving the motivation deficits in healthy aging. 30 older participants (65-80 years) perform computer-based experimental tasks measuring the propensity to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards. During task performance, participants receive 1 mA anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over their frontopolar cortex. The study tests whether tDCS over frontopolar cortex allows modulating participants' motivation to engage in rewarded effort.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 65-80 years
  • Informed consent as documented by signature
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • Cognitive and language ability to understand study content and procedure
  • Normal cognitive functioning (assessed by MMST)
  • BDI-II score < 20

Exclusion criteria

  • Negative response to TMS/tDCS in past
  • History of seizure
  • History of stroke or heart attack
  • History of head injury
  • Psychiatric or neurological disorder
  • Metal in body/head
  • Implanted medical products like pacemaker, medical pumps, heart catheter
  • Headache
  • Tinnitus
  • Currently taking medication affecting the central nervous system
  • Insufficient sleep in preceding night
  • Excessive consumption of alcohol within last 24 hours

Treatment and study plan

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Device

Participants receive anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation while performing effort-based decision tasks.

Primary outcomes

  1. participants' decisions to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards

    Time frame: All participants perform this decision-making task in both experimental sessions (i.e., both the anodal and the sham stimulation session) for 20 min while receiving anodal or sham stimulation.

    The project seeks to test the causal role of FPC in discounting of cognitive and physical effort in healthy older adults. For that purpose, participants perform a task on a computer which requires the participants to decide whether the participants are willing to exert cognitive or physical effort for a monetary reward. Participants perform this task both under anodal and under sham stimulation. It is tested whether anodal, relative to sham, stimulation increases participants' willingness to engage in rewarded cognitive or physical effort.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Zurich

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Causal Role of Frontopolar Cortex for Motivation in Healthy Older Adults: a Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Jun 23, 2017
Registry last updated
Apr 29, 2021

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.