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Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)NCT02110043

Modulation of Visual-Spatial Learning in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by tDCS

A study testing tDCS and training in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), run by Charite University, Berlin, Germany at 1 site in Germany.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) leads to an improvement in learning and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to examine the underlying neuronal… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 to 90 years
Conditions the study is for
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
What is being tested?
tDCS and training
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
21 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
Mar 2014to Oct 2017
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 50 to 90 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • right handedness
  • amnestic and amnestic plus MCI with:
  • subjective memory impairment;
  • objective memory difficulties, at least 1 SD below gender, age and education adjusted standard values;
  • relatively normal performance in other cognitive domains;
  • no constraints in activities of daily livings
  • age: 50-90 years

Who cannot join

  • severe internal or psychiatric disease
  • epilepsy
  • other severe neurological diseases, e.g. previous major stroke or brain tumor
  • DMS-IV manifest dementia
  • contraindication for MRT (claustrophobia, metallic implants, tattoos)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Germany1 site
  • Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin

    Berlin, 10117

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Official title: Modulation of Visual-Spatial Learning in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - Proof of Principle and Mechanisms

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) leads to an improvement in learning and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to examine the underlying neuronal mechanism.

Being tested
tDCS, training
Keywords
mild cognitive impairment (MCI), tDCS, LOCATO task, visual-spatial learning
Medical subject headings
Cognitive Dysfunction

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • tDCSDevice

    transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

  • trainingBehavioural

    intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (in LOCATO task)

Study groups in NCT02110043
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
training + tDCSExperimentalCombination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
Receives: Device: tDCS; Behavioral: training
training + sham stimulationSham comparatorCombination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with sham stimulation
Receives: Device: tDCS; Behavioral: training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Performance in LOCATO task (Visual-spatial learning and memory) after a combination of intensive visual-spatial training and tDCS

    Investigation whether the combination of intensive visual-spatial training (LOCATO task) and tDCS leads to improvement of visual-spatial learning and memory measured by performance in LOCATO task after end of a 3 day period of training compared to sham stimulation.

    Measured: immediately after end of a 3-day period of training in tDCS condition vs sham condition

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. long term effects

    long term effects measured by performance in LOCATO task in tDCS condition after end of cognitve training and after 1 month compared to control conditions

    Measured: after 1 month vs baseline

  2. functional changes: Connectivity

    Connectivity (measured by resting-state fMRT and correlation analysis) at baseline compared to end of 3 day period of training

    Measured: end of 3-day cognitive training vs baseline

  3. cortical excitability

    cortical excitability measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

    Measured: at baseline

  4. Quality of Life

    quality of life as measured by standardized questionaire at baseline compared to quality of life measured 1 month after intervention (training and stimulation vs. training and sham-stimualtion)

    Measured: after 1 month vs baseline

  5. memory

    memory performance tested at baseline compared to memory performance after the end of a 3-day cognitive training period and after 1 month (posttraining) in training and stimulation vs. training and sham stimulation

    Measured: immediately after end of 3-day of cognitive training, after 1 month vs. baseline

  6. affective state

    affective state measured at baseline compared to affective state measured after the end of a 3-day cognitve training period and after 1 month (posttraining) in training and stimulation vs. training and sham stimulation

    Measured: immediately after the end of 3-day cognitive training, after 1 month vs. baseline

  7. genotyping of learning related polymorphisms

    To assess predictors of positive reaction to brain stimulation, genotyping of several learning related polymorphisms will be performed (i.e., APOE, BDNF Val66Met, COMT Val158Met).

    Measured: once

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Apr 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2014
  3. Primary completionAug 2017
  4. Study completionOct 2017

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider
Enrolment
21 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02110043
Sponsor's protocol ID
LOCATO-MCI-tDCS
Status last verified
May 2021
First submitted
13 Feb 2014
Last updated
21 May 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Kulzow N, Kerti L, Witte VA, Kopp U, Breitenstein C, Floel A. An object location memory paradigm for older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. J Neurosci Methods. 2014 Nov 30;237:16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.08.020. Epub 2014 Aug 28.

    PubMed 25176026

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing tDCS and training in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), run by Charite University, Berlin, Germany at 1 site in Germany.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 May 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Performance in LOCATO task (Visual-spatial learning and memory) after a combination of intensive visual-spatial training and tDCS (time frame: immediately after end of a 3-day period of training in tDCS condition vs sham condition). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02110043, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 May 2021.

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