Non-invasive Deep Brain Stimulation to Improve Spatial Navigation Abilities in Individuals Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Summary

Impairments in spatial memory and spatial navigation are commonly reported amongst patients presenting post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, the investigators examine the effect of non-invasive deep brain stimulation of the hippocampal-entorhinal complex (HC-EC), a key region supporting navigation abilities, on spatial navigation performance in TBI patients. Using a virtual reality task where participants must first encode and later recall the location of objects in a virtual arena, the investigators contrast performance while active versus control stimulation is applied to the HC-EC. The investigators additionally record brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) prior to, during, and after task performance to characterize the neural correlates of spatial navigation abilities in TBI patients, and how they are affected by stimulation.

Conditions

• Traumatic Brain Injury

Interventions

OTHER

Transcranial electric stimulation

Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is an innovative non-invasive brain stimulation approach, in which two or more independent stimulation channels deliver high-frequency currents in the kHz range (oscillating at f1 and f1 + Δf). These high-frequency currents are assumed to be too high to effectively modulate neuronal activity. Still, by applying a small shift in frequency, they result in a modulated electric field with the envelope oscillating at the low-frequency Δf (target frequency) where the two currents overlap. The peak of the modulated envelope amplitude can be steered towards specific areas located deep in the brain, by tuning the positions of the electrodes and the current ratio across stimulation channels. Here, the investigators apply tTIS via surface electrodes applying a low-intensity, sub-threshold protocol following the safety guidelines for low-intensity transcranial electric stimulation in humans.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondation Bertarelli

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• The Novartis Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Clinique Romande de Readaptation

  collaborator NETWORK

• HUG University hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• SNF Swiss National Foundation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering

  collaborator OTHER

• Fondation Akiva

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Canton du Valais

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Friedhelm Hummel

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-31

Primary Completion

2027-12-31

Completion

2027-12-31

Countries

• Switzerland

Study Locations