Effect of High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) on Attentional Control: an fMRI Study on Healthy Participants

University of Tehran

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Healthy Volunteers

Treatments: Device: Active High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS); Device: Sham High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05613790

511098020

Details and patient eligibility

About

In a randomized, triple-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial, we will assess the effect of a single session frontal cortex High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) on brain activity and functional connectivity underlying the behavioral change in attentional control in healthy participants. Participants will be recruited after meeting the inclusion criteria and will be randomly assigned to active or sham stimulation groups. All participants will undergo resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) scan and perform an Attention Network Test (ANT) in a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner before and after receiving a single session of active or sham HD-tDCS.

Enrollment: 24 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 39 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Right-handed healthy adults
• Age range 20-39 years
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• Willing and capable of following study protocol requirements given in the informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression and generalized anxiety disorder, etc.)
• Medical illness or neurological disorder (e.g., cardiovascular illness, anemia, respiratory illness, neurological illness, seizure, etc.)
• Current abuse of drugs or alcohol
• Any conditions that prevent undergoing an fMRI scan or tDCS stimulation according to the fMRI and tDCS safety checklists

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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24 participants in 2 patient groups

Active HD-tDCS

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the active arm will receive 20 min of real High-Definition transcranial direct current stimulation. Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phases at the beginning and the end of stimulation will last for 30 s.

Treatment:

Device: Active High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS)

Sham HD-tDCS

Experimental group

Description:

During the sham session, the montage will be identical, however, the current amplitude will ramp up for 30 seconds, and for the remaining stimulation time, the current flow will terminate and will be kept to zero. Ramp-down phase at the end of stimulation will last for 30 s.

Treatment:

Device: Sham High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS)