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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07406503

MRI-tDCS Stress and Future Thinking Study

This academic study investigates how MRI-compatible transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences stress regulation and episodic future thinking in healthy volunteers. Participants undergo one MRI session: combining stress induction, tDCS (real or sham), and functional and metabolic MRI measurements. The study aims to better understand how non-invasive brain stimulation affects the neurophysiological and psychological mechanisms involved in stress processing and future-oriented thinking.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UZ Brussel

Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1090, Belgium

About this study

The purpose of this study is to examine the modulatory effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive and emotional processes related to stress regulation and episodic future thinking (EFT).

Healthy adult volunteers complete one MRI session. Participants were randomly assigned to active or sham stimulation. First, participants performed an fMRI-based baseline measurement of the EFT task. This task involves imagining specific future personal events in response to cue words presented on a screen and later verbally describing these imagined events outside the scanner.

During the second part, participants complete the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) - a mental arithmetic paradigm with time pressure and negative feedback to induce acute stress. Immediately afterward, they receive MRI-compatible tDCS (active or sham) for 20 minutes while at rest. The active tDCS delivers 2 mA current through a 4×4 cm anode placed over the left DLPFC and a cathode over the contralateral orbitofrontal region. Sham stimulation follows the same setup with current ramping only at the onset and offset.

Following stimulation, an ASL perfusion scan, MRS spectroscopy targeting the hippocampus, and a post-stimulation EFT fMRI task were conducted. Throughout the MRI scan, behavioral and psychometric data were collected, including questionnaires on rumination, personality, and mood, as well as physiological and biochemical measures such as salivary cortisol and heart rate variability (HRV).

The primary goal is to assess whether active tDCS modulates the neural, endocrine, and behavioral correlates of stress and future-oriented cognition compared to sham stimulation.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and women aged 18-30 years.
  • Right-handed, healthy volunteers.
  • Native Dutch speakers with normal or corrected vision.
  • No current or past psychiatric or neurological disorder.
  • MRI-compatible (no metal implants, pacemaker, etc.).
  • Not taking psychotropic medication.
  • Provided written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy.
  • History of epilepsy or neurosurgery.
  • Cardiovascular, neurological, or severe medical illness.
  • Claustrophobia or intolerance to MRI environment.
  • Tattoos or piercings that cannot be removed.
  • Alcohol or caffeine consumption within the restricted window before scanning.
  • Current use of psychoactive substances or psychotropic drugs.

Treatment and study plan

tDCS - Active non-invasive brain stimulation

Device

active non-invasive brain stimulation

tDCS - Sham non-invasive brain stimulation

Device

Sham non-invasive brain stimulation

Primary outcomes

  1. Specificity score of episodic future thinking

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Specificity of episodic future thinking responses assessed using a standardized scoring procedure applied to imagined future events.

    Unit of Measure: EFT specificity score (units on a standardized scale)

  2. Momentary mood ratings - fatigue

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported tension measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) Unit of Measure:Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more fatigued.

  3. Mean BOLD signal change during episodic future thinking

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Mean blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal change during the episodic future thinking task, averaged across predefined prefrontal-limbic regions of interest.

    Unit of Measure: Percent signal change (or beta coefficients from the general linear model)

  4. Momentary mood ratings -tension

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported tension measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more tensed.

  5. Momentary mood ratings - vigor

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported vigor measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more vigor.

  6. Momentary mood ratings - anger

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported anger measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more anger.

  7. Momentary mood ratings - depressed mood

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported depressed mood measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more depressed mood.

  8. Momentary mood ratings - cheerfulness

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported cheerfulness measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more cheerfulness.

  9. Momentary mood ratings - stress

    Time frame: Baseline; immediately post-tDCS; and immediately post-EFT paradigm (single study visit)

    Self-reported stress measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS).

    Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-10 scale. A higher score means more stress.

  10. Hippocampal glutamate concentration

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Hippocampal glutamate concentration measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS).

    Unit of Measure: Institutional units

  11. Hippocampal GABA concentration

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS).

    Unit of Measure: Institutional units

  12. Hippocampal glutamine concentration

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Hippocampal glutamine concentration measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS).

  13. Hippocampal N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately post-tDCS (single study visit)

    Hippocampal N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS).

    Unit of Measure: Institutional units

Secondary outcomes

  1. Salivary cortisol concentration

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately post-tDCS, and immediately post-EFT task (single study visit)

    Salivary cortisol concentration measured using biochemical assay from saliva samples.

    Unit of Measure: nmol/L (or µg/dL)

  2. Cerebral blood flow

    Time frame: Baseline and Periprocedural (during tDCS)

    Cerebral blood flow measured using arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI. Unit of Measure: mL/100 g/min

Other outcomes

  1. Depressive symptom severity

    Time frame: Baseline (prior to any intervention)

    Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) The BDI-II consists of 21 items, each scored 0-3. Unit of Measure: BDI-II total score ranging from 0 to 63. Higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms.

  2. Body mass index

    Time frame: Baseline (prior to any intervention)

    Body mass index calculated from measured body weight and height.

  3. Trait rumination

    Time frame: Baseline (prior to any intervention)

    Trait rumination assessed using the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS). Unit of Measure: RRS total score (range 22-88; higher scores indicate greater trait rumination).

  4. Brooding rumination

    Time frame: Baseline (single study visit)

    Brooding rumination assessed using the Brooding subscale of the Ruminative Responses Scale (BSRI).

    Unit of Measure: BSRI (Brooding) subscale score, range 5-20; higher scores indicate greater brooding rumination.

  5. Trait anxiety

    Time frame: Baseline (single study visit)

    Trait anxiety assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait version (STAI-T).

    Unit of Measure: STAI-T total score (range 20-80; higher scores indicate greater trait anxiety).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Modulation of the Stressed Brain: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Stress Regulation and Episodic Future Thinking - an MRI Study in Healthy Volunteers

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2021
First posted
Feb 12, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 12, 2026

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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