Testing Anodal transcranial Direct Current with Cognitive training against a placebo for impulsivity
Official title: Combined Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Cognitive Training and Decision-making
The Use of Combined Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Cognitive Training to Modulate Decision-making in Healthy People
- 2 groups
- One site, in Kingston
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Other intervention
Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
Non-invasive brain stimulation
- Behavioural therapy
Cognitive training
Iowa Gambling Task will be used for cognitive training
- Other intervention
Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
Non-invasive brain stimulation
Canadian Sites (1)
1 of 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for3 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Consenting volunteers aged between 18 and 40.
Exclusion
- −Individuals with epilepsy, other neurological conditions and history of significant head injury will be excluded.
- −Individuals with a history of substance misuse, major mental disorder and those receiving psychotropic medication will be also excluded.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives Cognitive training, together with one or more of: Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).
Registry label: A: Combined anodal tDCS and cognitive training
Group B, the shamSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → group, receives Cognitive training, together with one or more of: Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).
Registry label: B: Combined sham tDCS and cognitive training
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
One group receives a sham procedureSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → — one made to feel like the real thing but without the active step.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 40 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 60 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around December 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: Change from baselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → after 20 minutes of combined cognitive training and tDCS stimulation.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) net scores — measured over Change from baselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → after 20 minutes of combined cognitive training and tDCS stimulation.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT03886025 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)Other
Non-invasive brain stimulation
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a other is here: An intervention the registry did not place in another category.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Cognitive trainingBehavioural
Iowa Gambling Task will be used for cognitive training
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a behavioural is here: A programme, therapy, education, or lifestyle approach being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)Other
Non-invasive brain stimulation
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a other is here: An intervention the registry did not place in another category.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 18 years to 40 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study includes a shamSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → comparison — a procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 40 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Change from baselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → after 20 minutes of combined cognitive training and tDCS stimulation.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-12-30.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 60 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
This study aims to (i) assess the effects of combined tDCS and cognitive training on decision-making on a trained task (Iowa Gambling Task; IGT); and (ii) test generalization to a closely related cognitive domain, namely motor impulsivity. It is hypothesized that combined anodal tDCS and cognitive training will result in more advantageous decisions and better impulse control than combined sham tDCS and cognitive training.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.