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CompletedNCT01611103Updated Sep 1, 2015

Cognitive Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Older Adults

An interventional study of transcranial direct current stimulation in Aging, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 55 Years to 79 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-09-01.

Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
43
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
55 Years to 79 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This research is being done to determine whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve certain mental abilities. In this research, a 9 volt battery is used to deliver very weak electrical current to the surface of the scalp while participants complete cognitive tasks. Our aim is to find out whether tDCS will improve task performance in adults over the age of 55.

Read the detailed description

Participants enrolled into this study may be asked to do the following:

  • Grant permission for the researchers to view medical records associated with their language/cognitive difficulties (if applicable).
  • Complete a questionnaire, provide a health history, and take some pencil-and-paper tests of problem-solving and memory in order to verify eligibility to participate and to able to safely undergo the experimental procedures.
  • Complete several tasks (i.e., saying words out loud, naming objects, drawing designs, remembering lists of words, searching for images or letters, and/or completing puzzles) based upon a number of cognitive functions such as language, memory, vision, processing, and perception.
  • Wear electrodes that will be placed on the scalp with a large rubberized band. These electrodes will administer very weak electrical current (tDCS) from a 9 volt battery for 20 to 60 minutes.
  • Participate in several study conditions. The exact conditions and their order will be randomized. Under some conditions, participants may receive active stimulation (tDCS) and under other conditions, they may receive sham stimulation.
  • The experimental sessions will last approximately 2 hours and participants may be asked to have more than one testing session in a day or to return for additional sessions.
02

Conditions studied

  • Aging

Keywords

  • Cognitive Enhancement
  • tDCS
  • stimulation
  • elderly
  • older adults
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Johns Hopkins University is the lead sponsor of 1,783 studies on the registry; 313 are open to participants now.

Of its 203 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 140 (69%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
55 Years to 79 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Over the age of 55
  • Right Handed
  • Native English speaker

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of Seizures
  • Any implanted metal device or pacemaker
  • Appreciable deficits in hearing or vision
  • Greater than 1.5 standard deviations below demographically adjusted means on cognitive screen
  • Dementia or Mini Mental Exam below 24
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
43 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Sham comparator
    Sham Stimulation

    transcranial direct current stimulation that is ramped up and ramped down providing the sensation of tDCS without delivering the full amount of tDCS

    Procedure: transcranial direct current stimulation

  • Experimental
    Anodal Stimulation

    transcranial direct current stimulation using Anodal stimulation over the area of interest

    Procedure: transcranial direct current stimulation

Interventions

  • Proceduretranscranial direct current stimulation

    delivery of transcranial direct current stimulation or sham stimulation for 20 to 60 minutes

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Cognitive Test Performance

    Cognitive test performance by subjects will be evaluated upon completion of enrollment to determine if tDCS improved performance on cognitive tests

    Time frame: The average time frame is 2 hours

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Department of Neurology
    Baltimore, Maryland 21231, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 1, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01611103
Lead sponsor
Johns Hopkins University
Responsible party
Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. (Editor-in-Chief, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology/Therapeutic Cognitive Neuroscience Professor/Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 4, 2012
Start date
Jun 2012
Primary completion
Dec 2013
Completion
Dec 2013
Last update
Sep 1, 2015

Study contacts

Barry Gordon
principal investigator · Johns Hopkins University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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