Prof. Dr. Walter Paulus
Goettigen, Lower Saxony, 37075, Germany
NCT Number: NCT04011670
Caffeine is a psychostimulant drug. It acts as a competitive antagonist at adenosine receptors, which modulate cortical excitability as well. In deep brain stimulation (DBS), the production of adenosine following the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) explains the reduction of tremor. Binding of adenosine to adenosine A1 receptors suppresses excitatory transmission in the thalamus and hereby reduces both tremor-and DBS-induced side effects. Also, the effect of adenosine was attenuated following the administration of the 8-Cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) adenosine A1 receptor antagonist. Therefore, the presence of a receptor antagonist such as caffeine was suggested to reduce the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treating tremor and other movement disorders.
Based on this finding, the investigators hypothesize that the antagonistic effect of caffeine can tentatively block the excitatory effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). The plasticity effects might differ among caffeine users and non- caffeine users depending on the availability of receptor binding sites.
Apart from that, a major issue in NIBS studies including those studying motor-evoked potentials is the response variability both within and between individuals. The trial to trial variability of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) may be affected by many factors. Inherent to caffeine is its effect on vigilance. In this study, the investigator shall monitor the participant's vigilance by pupillometry to (1) better understand the factors, which might cause variability in transcranial excitability induction studies and (2) to separate the direct pharmacological effect from the indirect attentional effect of caffeine.
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Notify Me18 year–45 year
All sexes
Interventional
Not applicable
Goettigen, Lower Saxony, 37075, Germany
Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
Time frame: Baseline (pre-measurement), immediately after intervention, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes
Motor cortex plasticity is measured from the changes in the amplitude of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) at different time points. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be used to measure MEP amplitudes.
Time frame: 10 minutes
Participant's level of vigilance is monitored from pupil diameter and pupil unrest index (PUI) using pupillometer. This measurement is carried out during 10 minutes of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)
Time frame: 1 year
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms on cortical plasticity
University Medical Center Goettingen
Other
Neuroplastic Alterations of the Motor Cortex by Caffeine: Differences Between Caffeine and Non-caffeine Users and Influence of Vigilance During Stimulation
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