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Efficacy and Mechanisms of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) - Effects on Working Memory in Schizophrenia

NCT02823639 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 128

Last updated 2021-04-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Impairments of cognition are a core, severely disabling feature of schizophrenia leading to poor long-term outcome with no established treatment available.

Particularly impaired executive functions (e.g working memory) are frequently observed and are consistently associated with reduced activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Deficits in those functions have been shown to be closely related to negative symptoms, thought disorder, and functional outcome in schizophrenia leading to the notion that frontal lobe dysfunction is crucially important in schizophrenic psychopathology.

Noninvasive brain stimulation like tDCS can enhance executive functions like working memory in healthy subjects as well as in patients. To identify the optimal parameters for this intervention in patients with schizophrenia, the investigators first test the effects of different polarities (anodal, cathodal), stimulation intensities (1mA, 2mA) and laterality (left, right) on working-memory performance (nback task) in a sham-controlled cross-over design (n=128). To elucidate mechanisms of action, oscillatory brain activity will be registered with electroencephalography (EEG).

These experiments will provide reliable data for an evidence-based development of new clinical interventions to improve treatment of cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia and thus enhance schizophrenia prevention and recovery.

Conditions

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Transcranial direct current stimulation

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital Munich

    collaborator OTHER

  • University Hospital Tuebingen

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Christian Plewnia, Prof., MD · University Hospital Tuebingen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-10-31
Primary Completion
2022-08-31
Completion
2022-10-31

Countries

  • Germany

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02823639 on ClinicalTrials.gov