Completed

NCT Number: NCT01779752

Vestibular Cortex and TMS

In human, the cerebral cortex forms a network of vestibular cortical areas which functional role remains unknown. In patients with localised cortical lesions the investigator has previously demonstrated that the parieto-temporal cortex could regulate the inertial component of the vestibulo-ocular (VOR) responses whereas more ventral regions including the temporo-occipital cortex would be associated with gain regulation of these VOR responses.

The investigator's main purpose is to investigate the modalities of vestibular integration in these posterior parieto-temporal et temporo-occipital cortical regions. Thus, by using repetitive ttranscranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) the investigator will induce a transitory inhibition of one of these 2 cortical regions and register its effect on VOR responses. Based on theta burst stimulation (TBS) paradigm, the investigator will stimulate the region of interest by applying on the scalp repetitive burst (at 50 HZ) during 44sec. Then, during the consecutive cortical inhibition lasting for the 15 minutes poststimulation, the investigator will record the subject's VOR responses. The VOR gain will be calculated and the time constant and phase will provide an estimation of the inertial component of the VOR responses. The healthy subjects recruited on the basis of inclusion criteria during medical examination will be divided into two groups of 20 subjects each depending of their sites of stimulation, temporo-parietal or temporo-occipital. Each subject will perform three experimental sessions (of 1h in average each) separated by at least one week and corresponding to : (1) the right cortical stimulation, (2) the left stimulation and (3) the vertex stimulation serving as the control session.

The TMS paradigm is used in routine in hospital and research field and had very few negative consequences (mainly transitory and occasional headache).

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Cortical Organisation of Vestibular Integration

Age range

20 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

INSERM U846 18 Avenue Doyen Lépine 69500-BRON

Lyon, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Male and/or female healthy volunteers between 20 and 35 years old.
Considered healthy subject after medical examination and MRI images analysis
With social security affiliation
After informed and voluntary consent to participate to the study (signed written consent)
With normal ocular responses with a gain not less than 0.5 during preliminary VOR registration.

Exclusion criteria

Persons under guardianship, curatorship or any other administrative or judicial deprivation of rights and freedom
Persons with a medical history, or any acute or chronic disease which may affect the test results, or creating a risk to the subject in the protocol, in particular:

with personal or family history of seizure disorders
with previous or current psychiatric disease or schizotypal signs (RISC questionary)
with previous or current neurology or otology (audition or equilibrium) history
with visual corrected visual acuity inferior to 8/10
having taken hypnotics, psychotropic or other central nervous system depressants (opiates, barbiturates, antiepileptics, antidepressants, sedatives, antihistamines, anxiolytics, neuroleptics, clonidine and related) during the 8 months prior to experimentation
consuming more than 150 mg of caffeine per day (15 small cups of Italian coffee)
with a contra-indication for MRI: pacemaker or neural surgical clips ferromagnetic and metallic implants, intraocular foreign bodies, claustrophobia
pregnancy (diagnosed by a urine test)

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

changes in gain of vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)

Time frame: Day 1, Day 7, Day 14, Day 21

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Functional Organisation of the Vestibular Cortical Pathways in Human: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Approach

Acronym: CoVest

Important dates

Study start: 2013
Primary completion: 2016
Study completion: 2016
First posted: Jan 30, 2013
Registry last updated: Jun 5, 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.