Brain Network Mechanisms Causally Underlying Human Decisions Revealed by Brain Stimulation and Functional MRI

Christian Ruff

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

Treatments: Other: TMS or tES; Other: sham TMS or tES

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05027854

2020-01490

Details and patient eligibility

About

We will examine how stimulation of specific brain areas with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial electric stimulation (tES) changes specific aspects of behavior and brain activity, in order to test hypotheses about brain behavior relationships (basic research).

Enrollment: 1,800 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• between 18 and 80 years of age (whereby for most studies the majority of recruited participants will be between 18 and 40 years of age)
• right-handedness and/or one specific gender (male or female) can be inclusion criteria to reduce variation in the data.

Exclusion criteria

• inability to understand the instructions and insufficient knowledge of the project language
• Internal electronic and/or metallic objects in the head, neck, or shoulders (e.g. artificial cochleae, deep brain stimulators, medical pumps, shrapnel, metallic splinters due to accidents during metal welding)
• One or more epileptic fits in the participant or a first-degree relative
• Vascular, traumatic, tumoral, infectious, or metabolic brain damage
• Use of medication that significantly alters cortical excitability
• Acute sleep deprivation or withdrawal from alcohol
• pregnancy
• to reduce bias, students of psychology or economics can be excluded if there is a possibility that they are familiar with the relevant paradigm.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,800 participants in 2 patient groups

Stimulation

Experimental group

Description:

TMS or tES, depending on experiment

Treatment:

Other: TMS or tES

Sham

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Corresponding sham TMS or tES

Treatment:

Other: sham TMS or tES