Neuromodulation and Language Acquisition (Project Stage Ia)

University Hospital Muenster

Status and phase: Terminated; Phase 4

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Drug: pergolid; Drug: modafinil; Drug: rivastigmine; Drug: levodopa

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00102284

KS-NEUROMOD_01, Stage Ia

IZKF Muenster: Kne3/074/04

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether levodopa, pergolid, rivastigmine, or modafinil are effective in boosting semantic language acquisition in healthy subjects.

Full description

Our prior work shows that d-amphetamine and the dopamine precursor levodopa markedly improve word learning success in healthy subjects. In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial, we probe whether a mixed d1/d2 dopamine agonist (pergolid) or cholinergic neuromodulation (rivastigmine) or a general centrally arousing substance (modafinil) will yield a learning enhancement comparable to using levodopa in healthy subjects.

Our results show that the dopamine agonist pergolide impaired learning in healthy subjects compared to placebo, whereas cholinergic neuromodulation had no effect.

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy subjects
• 20-35 years old
• Right handedness
• Left language dominance (as assessed by functional transcranial Doppler ultrasonography [fTCD])

Exclusion criteria

• Neurological/psychiatric/metabolic/cardiac disorders
• Asthma
• Known allergic reactions to one of the experimental drugs
• Other drugs affecting the central nervous system
• Leisure drug ingestion during the past 4 weeks (urine test)
• Smoking cessation during the past 2 weeks
• > 6 cups of coffee or energy drinks per day
• > 10 cigarettes per day
• > 50 grams of alcohol per day

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind