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Task-dependent Effects of TMS on the Neural Biomarkers of Episodic Memory

NCT04694131 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 43

Last updated 2025-07-04

Study results available
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Summary

Background:

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the brain has been used to change the activity and connections in the brain to improve memory. Researchers are interested in how these brain changes cause memory improvements and how activity at the time of stimulation may change the effects of TMS.

Objective:

To learn how brain stimulation can be used to improve memory.

Eligibility:

Healthy adults ages 18-40

Design:

Participants will be screened with a medical record review.

Participants will have 3 study visits.

At visit 1, participants will have a physical exam and will talk about their health. They will have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI scanner is a metal cylinder surrounded by a strong magnetic field. During the MRI, participants will lie on a table that can slide in and out of the scanner. A coil will be placed over the head. Participants will be asked to keep their eyes focused on a small cross on a computer screen inside the scanner. The scanner makes loud noises. Participants will get earplugs.

At visits 2 and 3, participants will have TMS and perform tasks. For TMS, a wire coil encased in plastic is held on the scalp. When the coil is triggered, a brief electrical current passes through the coil and creates a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. During TMS, an electroencephalogram (EEG) will record brain activity. For the EEG, a cloth cap with electrodes is fitted on the participant s head. Participants will complete a memory task and a spatial processing task. They will also complete surveys about their mental state.

Participation will last 2-3 weeks.

Conditions

  • Normal Physiology

Interventions

DEVICE

TMS

The intervention of interest will be TMS delivered to the region of the left posterior parietal cortex with the greatest connectivity with the left hippocampus derived from the baseline resting-state fMRI session. This region was chosen because of its dense connections with the hippocampus, allowing stimulation of this location to modulate function of the hippocampal-cortical network. The control intervention target will be vertex, a commonly used active control site which does not influence neural or behavioral activity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

    lead NIH

Principal Investigators

  • Eric M Wassermann, M.D. · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-07-09
Primary Completion
2023-02-24
Completion
2023-02-24

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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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 NCT04694131 on ClinicalTrials.gov