The aim of this study is to investigate if non-invasive HD-tDCS brain stimulation can be used to stimulate thought suppression in healthy individuals (experiment 1) and in individuals with heightened levels of anxiety (experiment 2).
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
Synonym
Health condition
het betreft fundamenteel geheugenonderzoek dat niet gericht is op een aandoening maar op algemeen functioneren van het geheugen.
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
Thought suppression is defined by means of three endpoints: more forgetting;
fewer intrusions; and reduced negative affect in the experimental group
(compared to the control group).
Secondary outcome
n/a
Background summary
The act of suppressing unwanted emotional memories is important for our mental
health. Because memories can trigger strong emotions, the ability to control
whether and when such memory recall occurs can help us in regulating these
emotions. However, not all individuals are able to apply such thought
suppression when needed. In healthy populations, there are large individual
differences in the extent to which people can suppress their memories. In
individuals diagnosed with psychopathology or with presence of subclinical
traits (e.g., anxiety) thought suppression deficits are more pronounced. A
promising way to level the playing field for individuals that experience
difficulty with suppressing unwanted thoughts is by applying non-invasive
High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) to relevant
brain areas to boost thought suppression. Specifically targeting the right
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex should subsequently reduce brain activity in
areas involved in memory retrieval (i.e., hippocampus) and emotional arousal
(i.e., amygdala) thereby boosting thought suppression and emotion regulation.
Study objective
The aim of this study is to investigate if non-invasive HD-tDCS brain
stimulation can be used to stimulate thought suppression in healthy individuals
(experiment 1) and in individuals with heightened levels of anxiety (experiment
2).
Study design
double-blind placebo controlled intervention study
Intervention
Participants in the experimental group will receive 3mA HD-tDCS stimulation for
30 minutes in the phase in which they are suppressing unwanted memories. The
control group will receive sham stimulation during this time.
Study burden and risks
There are no direct benefits for the participants. There are no risks involved
with participation (in either Experiment 1 or Experiment 2). Participants will
invest 2 hours of their time in participation, 30 minutes of which will involve
HD-tDCS (or sham) stimulation.
Warandelaan 2
Tilburg 5037 AB
NL
Warandelaan 2
Tilburg 5037 AB
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
• 18 to 35 years of age
• able to speak Dutch fluently
• STAI-T Total score of 40 or higher (only for experiment 2)
Exclusion criteria
a) Red-green color blindness
b) (Suspected) current pregnancy
c) Frequent or severe headaches (migraines)
d) Scalp or skin condition (e.g. psoriasis or eczema)
e) Metal implants such as intracranial electrodes, surgical clips or shrapnel
(metal in the mouth such as a splint or brace is permitted)
f) Presence of implanted medical devices
g) Head injury resulting in loss of consciousness
h) Head wound that has not yet fully healed
i) Ever had a stroke or epileptic seizure
j) Unexplained episodes of loss of consciousness
k) Use of medication (excluding contraceptive pills)
l) Current self-reported diagnosis of a neurological or psychological disorder
m) Any serious life-threatening disease
n) Participated in previous research that used brain stimulation techniques
(such as TMS/tDCS) and experience serious side effects
o) Head covering or hairstyle (headscarf, dreadlocks) that does not allow
contact with the scalp
p) Previously participated in similar memory research
Design
Recruitment
Medical products/devices used
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL85602.028.23 |