Flexibility, Alcohol Misuse, and Excitation

Summary

The goal of this study is to learn whether a single non-invasive brain stimulation alpha-transcranial alternating current stimulation (alpha-tACS) session changes measures of excitability in the prefrontal cortex. It will also learn whether these changes predict differences in habitual action selection in a laboratory task and whether the effects depend on alcohol use history. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does alpha-tACS reduce habitual action selection by reducing excitability in the prefrontal cortex? Is alpha-tACS most effective in reducing habitual action selection in hazardous drinkers who engaged in binge-drinking during adolescence?

Researchers will compare alpha-tACS to sham stimulation to see if alpha-tACS changes habitual action selection by changing prefrontal excitability.

Participants will:

Visit the lab for behavioral training Visit the imaging center for an MRI session Visit the lab to receive alpha-tACS or sham stimulation during behavioral testing and undergo EEG recordings before and after stimulation Visit the imaging center for a repeat MRI session Provide a small sample of blood from a finger-prick in the first and last visits.

Conditions

• Behavioral Flexibility
• Healthy Volunteers
• High Risk Alcohol Use

Interventions

OTHER

10 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

10 Hz bi-frontal tACS: Alternating current stimulation is delivered by an XCSITE 100 device (Pulvinar Neuro, Chapel Hill, NC), through three conductive carbon-rubber electrodes. Electrodes are placed over the apex of the head (Cz) and the prefrontal cortex bilaterally (F3 and F4). Stimulation is delivered during the second half of the HABIT Test session. Stimulation parameters: 2mA peak-to-peak 10Hz sine-wave flanked by 10 second linear envelope ramps in and out for a total duration of 30 min and 20 seconds.

OTHER

sham transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

Sham tACS: The procedure for sham stimulation will be identical, but it will last for 2 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Charlotte A Boettiger, PhD · University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

22 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-07-18

Primary Completion

2025-01-24

Completion

2025-01-24

Countries

• United States

Study Locations