Boosting The Intervention Effect of Negative Memory Through tACS Stimulation

Capital Medical University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Seizures

Treatments: Device: Active tACS Device; Device: Sham tACS Device

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06375395

Memory Updating Tasks

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objectives of this study include: 1) investigating the impact of negative memory substitution on an individual's other intellectual memories (i.e., neutral memories) and the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms; 2) investigating the memory enhancement effect resulting from retrieval practice associated with memory substitution intervention along with an examination of the neurocognitive mechanisms responsible for this enhancement.

Full description

This study will adopt two memory updating strategies: retrieval practice and reactivation.

A 5-day memory updating experimental paradigm is used.

1. On the first day, the old memory A-B linkage is learned, where A represents a neutral word and B is either neutral or negative pictures (half of each, randomly scrambled).
2. On the second day, the old memory A-B association is consolidated again, and after a 15-minute break, the new memory A-C association is learned, where A is still the word A used in the old memory A-B association on the first day, and C is the new neutral and negative pictures (half of each, randomly scrambled, and with inconsistent categories of C and B in each pair of AC and AB). Immediately following this, the new memories of the A-C conjunctions are updated using both Retrieval practice and Restudy (control condition) memory strategies.
3. A-C is extracted/learned using both Retrieval practice and Restudy memory strategies on both day 3 and day 4.
4. On the fifth day, memory tests for associative memory strength, gist and detail memory, as well as emotional valence and strength are performed.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. 14-60 years old, male or female, Han Chinese;
2. Drug-resistant epilepsy;
3. Required surgical implantation of SEEG electrodes.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Progressive encephalopathy or progressive structural damage in the central nervous system;
2. Significant heart, liver, renal insufficiency, and other medical diseases;
3. Severe side effects from taking antiepileptic drugs at the time of enrollment and not inappropriate for SEEG;
4. Significant intellectual disability;
5. A history of alcohol and drug abuse;
6. Any contraindication to MRI.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Active tACS

Experimental group

Description:

Those who participate in the treatment group will receive tACS, which lasts for 40 minutes per day on 3 consecutive days.

Treatment:

Device: Active tACS Device

Sham tACS

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Those who participate in the control group will receive sham tACS, which lasts for 40 minutes per day on 3 consecutive days.

Treatment:

Device: Sham tACS Device