Investigating the Mechanisms of Decision-Making Using Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-40
SponsorWuerzburg University Hospital

About this trial

This study aims to investigate which of two brain regions is important for which decision-making strategy. The investigators suppose that one brain region - the \*striatum\* - is important for repeatedly choosing objects that have previously been paired with rewards (strategy 1). They suppose that a different region - the \*hippocampus\* - is important for extending such reasoning to RELATED objects (strategy 2).

The investigators will repeatedly ask young and healthy subjects to choose between two objects. The two objects are repeatedly drawn from a pool of seven. Relations between the seven objects have been learned on the first day of the experiment. The investigators will record subjects' choices and will use an automated way to assess the extent to which any given subject uses either decision-making strategy.

* On one day, subjects will perform the task while their right hippocampus is being stimulated with non-invasive electrical stimulation ("condition A"). * On another day, subjects will perform the same task but with their striatum being stimulated ("condition B"). * On yet another day, a control stimulation ("condition C") will be applied that looks and feels like the real stimulation but does not influence brain activity.

Which stimulation (A, B, C) happens on which day is assigned by computer code and differs between subjects. Subjects do not know, and investigators mostly do not know, whether real or control stimulation is applied on each day.

The investigators will check whether subjects use strategy 1 more when their striatum is being stimulated and strategy 2 more when their hippocampus is being stimulated, as compared to when the control stimulation is applied.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

No diagnosis of any neurological or psychiatric disease

Disqualifiers

Severe neuropsychiatric or unstable systemic disease

Severe sensory or cognitive impairment or musculoskeletal dysfunction that would prevent subjects from understanding the task instructions or executing the tasks

Implanted medical devices

Diagnosis of epilepsy or history of one or more epileptic seizure(s)

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Hippocampal intermittent-theta burst stimulation
  • Striatal intermittent-theta burst stimulation
  • High-frequency control stimulation with striatal electrode set-up
  • High-frequency control stimulation with hippocampal electrode set-up

Treatment groups

36 Participants
are divided into 12 treatment groups

12

Treatment groups

See each treatment group below.

Sponsors and collaborators

Wuerzburg University Hospital

Lead sponsor

University of Wuerzburg

Collaborator