Actively Recruiting
Physiology of Human Brain Connectivity
Led by Massachusetts General Hospital · Updated on 2025-11-10
80
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
121 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
M
Massachusetts General Hospital
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effective connectivity between different regions of the human brain in healthy participants, and the mechanisms which influence and modulate its development. Specifically, the investigators will examine the effects of cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) which is induced by the application of brief (\< 1 ms) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses separated by a short millisecond-level time intervals ("asynchrony") to two different areas of the brain. All techniques are non-invasive and considered safe in humans: TMS, electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on previous animal and human studies, it is hypothesized that ccPAS will increase or decrease effective connectivity between the stimulated areas depending on the asynchrony value. The main outcome measure is source-resolved EEG cortico-cortical evoked potentials (ccEPs) elicited by single-pulse TMS.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Physiology of Human Brain Connectivity
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age from 18 to 64 years
- Right-handed
- Normal hearing and (corrected) vision
- Able to understand and give informed consent
You will not qualify if you...
- Cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker wires; neurostimulators; implanted pumps
- Metal in the body (e.g., rods, plates, screws, shrapnel, dentures that cannot be removed during the recordings, IUD)
- Suspected metallic particles in the eye
- Surgical clips in the head or previous neurosurgery
- Any magnetic particles in the body
- Cochlear implants
- Prosthetic heart valves
- Epilepsy or any other type of seizure history
- Any neurological diagnoses or medications influencing brain function
- History of significant head trauma (i.e., extended loss of consciousness, neurological sequelae)
- Known structural brain lesion
- Significant other disease (heart disease, malignant tumors, mental disorders)
- Significant claustrophobia; Ménière's disease
- Pregnancy (ruled out by urine β-HCG if answers to screening questions suggest that pregnancy is possible), breast feeding
- Non prescribed drug use
- Failure to perform the behavioral tasks or neuropsychological evaluation tests
- Prisoners
AI-Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02129
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
N
Netri Pajankar, MS
CONTACT
G
Gabriel Fadel, MS
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
1
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