Clinical trial NCT02331615: Application of Trans Cranial Direct Current Stimulation for Executive Dysfunction After Traumatic Brain Injury
Official title: Feasibility of the Use of Electrical Stimulation Using tDCS to Influence Executive Abilities After Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Traumatic Brain Injury
Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury
Executive function difficulties
Transcranial direct current stimulation
Lead sponsor: Loewenstein Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2015-01-06
Enrollment: 8
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) particularly affects the frontal lobes and patients often suffer from executive dysfunction and behavioral disturbances. These types of injuries often involve axonal damage to pre frontal brain areas, which mediate various cognitive and behavioral functions. Dorsolateral prefrontal circuit lesions cause executive dysfunction, orbitofrontal circuit lesions lead to personality changes characterized by disinhibition and anterior cingulate circuit lesions present with apathy. Patients who suffered traumatic frontal lobe damage often demonstrate a lasting, profound disturbance of emotional regulation and social cognition.

Weak transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) induces persisting excitability changes in the human motor cortex. this effect depends on the stimulation polarity and is specific to the site of stimulation. Interacting with cortical activity, by means of cortical stimulation, can positively affect the short-term cognitive performance and improve the rehabilitation potential of neurologic patients. In this respect, preliminary evidence suggests that cortical stimulation may play a role in treating aphasia, unilateral neglect, and other cognitive disorders.

Several possible mechanisms can account for the effects of tDCS and other methods on cognitive performance. They all reflect the potential of these methods to improve the subject's ability to relearn or to acquire new strategies for carrying out behavioral tasks. It was also found that Activation of prefrontal cortex by tDCS reduces appetite for risk during ambiguous decision making.

In this tDCS study the investigator uses one anode and one cathode electrode placed over the scalp to modulate a particular area of the central nervous system (CNS). The stimulation is administered via the neuroConn DC.Stimulator Serial number 0096. The DC-STIMULATOR is a micro-processor-controlled constant current source. The DC-STIMULATOR is a CE-certified medical device for conducting non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on people.Electrode positioning is determined according to the International EEG 10-20 System.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria

* Ages 18-70 years.
* Traumatic Brain injured patients who were diagnosed with executive function difficulties.
* Patients who are able to cooperate and comprehend simple instructions.
* Patients who can provide informed consent after both oral and written information was given and discussed.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy.
* Patients who sufferred a penetrating head trauma.
* Patients who underwent a frontal craniotomy
* Patients with a history of Psychiatric problems
* In cases of Severe Porencephaly at stimulation site
* Active Epilepsy or a history of seizure.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline MindStreams-NeuroTrax MINDSTREAMS-NEUROTRAX
timeFrame: day 1 (twice), day 15, day 21
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function- (Adult Version) BRIEF-A
timeFrame: day 1, day 21
measure: Change from baseline Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III )
timeFrame: day 1 (twice), day 15, day 21
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ra'anana
country: Israel
facility: Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center
Study officials:
References:
citation: Schroeter ML, Ettrich B, Schwier C, Scheid R, Guthke T, von Cramon DY. Diffuse axonal injury due to traumatic brain injury alters inhibition of imitative response tendencies. Neuropsychologia. 2007 Nov 5;45(14):3149-56. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.07.004. Epub 2007 Jul 14.
citation: Tekin S, Cummings JL. Frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits and clinical neuropsychiatry: an update. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Aug;53(2):647-54. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00428-2.
citation: Cicerone KD, Tanenbaum LN. Disturbance of social cognition after traumatic orbitofrontal brain injury. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 1997;12(2):173-88.
citation: Fregni F, Boggio PS, Nitsche M, Bermpohl F, Antal A, Feredoes E, Marcolin MA, Rigonatti SP, Silva MT, Paulus W, Pascual-Leone A. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex enhances working memory. Exp Brain Res. 2005 Sep;166(1):23-30. doi: 10.1007/s00221-005-2334-6. Epub 2005 Jul 6.
citation: Miniussi C, Cappa SF, Cohen LG, Floel A, Fregni F, Nitsche MA, Oliveri M, Pascual-Leone A, Paulus W, Priori A, Walsh V. Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation/transcranial direct current stimulation in cognitive neurorehabilitation. Brain Stimul. 2008 Oct;1(4):326-36. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2008.07.002. Epub 2008 Oct 7.
citation: Ferrucci R, Marceglia S, Vergari M, Cogiamanian F, Mrakic-Sposta S, Mameli F, Zago S, Barbieri S, Priori A. Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation impairs the practice-dependent proficiency increase in working memory. J Cogn Neurosci. 2008 Sep;20(9):1687-97. doi: 10.1162/jocn.2008.20112.
citation: Fregni F, Boggio PS, Nitsche MA, Rigonatti SP, Pascual-Leone A. Cognitive effects of repeated sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with depression. Depress Anxiety. 2006;23(8):482-4. doi: 10.1002/da.20201. No abstract available.
citation: Fecteau S, Pascual-Leone A, Zald DH, Liguori P, Theoret H, Boggio PS, Fregni F. Activation of prefrontal cortex by transcranial direct current stimulation reduces appetite for risk during ambiguous decision making. J Neurosci. 2007 Jun 6;27(23):6212-8. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0314-07.2007.
citation: Beeli G, Casutt G, Baumgartner T, Jancke L. Modulating presence and impulsiveness by external stimulation of the brain. Behav Brain Funct. 2008 Aug 4;4:33. doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-4-33.
citation: Boggio PS, Ferrucci R, Rigonatti SP, Covre P, Nitsche M, Pascual-Leone A, Fregni F. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on working memory in patients with Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Sci. 2006 Nov 1;249(1):31-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.05.062. Epub 2006 Jul 14.
citation: Jo JM, Kim YH, Ko MH, Ohn SH, Joen B, Lee KH. Enhancing the working memory of stroke patients using tDCS. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2009 May;88(5):404-9. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e3181a0e4cb.
citation: Monti A, Cogiamanian F, Marceglia S, Ferrucci R, Mameli F, Mrakic-Sposta S, Vergari M, Zago S, Priori A. Improved naming after transcranial direct current stimulation in aphasia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2008 Apr;79(4):451-3. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2007.135277. Epub 2007 Dec 20.
citation: Bikson M, Datta A, Elwassif M. Establishing safety limits for transcranial direct current stimulation. Clin Neurophysiol. 2009 Jun;120(6):1033-4. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.03.018. Epub 2009 Apr 24. No abstract available.
citation: Poreisz C, Boros K, Antal A, Paulus W. Safety aspects of transcranial direct current stimulation concerning healthy subjects and patients. Brain Res Bull. 2007 May 30;72(4-6):208-14. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2007.01.004. Epub 2007 Jan 24.
citation: Dundas JE, Thickbroom GW, Mastaglia FL. Perception of comfort during transcranial DC stimulation: effect of NaCl solution concentration applied to sponge electrodes. Clin Neurophysiol. 2007 May;118(5):1166-70. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2007.01.010. Epub 2007 Feb 27.
citation: Palm U, Keeser D, Schiller C, Fintescu Z, Nitsche M, Reisinger E, Padberg F. Skin lesions after treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Brain Stimul. 2008 Oct;1(4):386-7. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2008.04.003. Epub 2008 Jun 20. No abstract available.
citation: Utz KS, Dimova V, Oppenlander K, Kerkhoff G. Electrified minds: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) as methods of non-invasive brain stimulation in neuropsychology--a review of current data and future implications. Neuropsychologia. 2010 Aug;48(10):2789-810. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.002. Epub 2010 Jun 11.
citation: Liebetanz D, Koch R, Mayenfels S, Konig F, Paulus W, Nitsche MA. Safety limits of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation in rats. Clin Neurophysiol. 2009 Jun;120(6):1161-7. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.01.022. Epub 2009 Apr 28.
citation: Iyer MB, Mattu U, Grafman J, Lomarev M, Sato S, Wassermann EM. Safety and cognitive effect of frontal DC brain polarization in healthy individuals. Neurology. 2005 Mar 8;64(5):872-5. doi: 10.1212/01.WNL.0000152986.07469.E9.
citation: Nitsche MA, Paulus W. Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation. J Physiol. 2000 Sep 15;527 Pt 3(Pt 3):633-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.t01-1-00633.x.
citation: Nitsche MA, Niehaus L, Hoffmann KT, Hengst S, Liebetanz D, Paulus W, Meyer BU. MRI study of human brain exposed to weak direct current stimulation of the frontal cortex. Clin Neurophysiol. 2004 Oct;115(10):2419-23. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2004.05.001.
citation: Nitsche MA, Paulus W. Sustained excitability elevations induced by transcranial DC motor cortex stimulation in humans. Neurology. 2001 Nov 27;57(10):1899-901. doi: 10.1212/wnl.57.10.1899.
citation: Boggio PS, Nunes A, Rigonatti SP, Nitsche MA, Pascual-Leone A, Fregni F. Repeated sessions of noninvasive brain DC stimulation is associated with motor function improvement in stroke patients. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2007;25(2):123-9.