Using Non-invasive Brain Stimulation to Treat Word Finding Difficulty in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury
Using High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Treat Verbal Retrieval Deficits Secondary to Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury (STIM-CTBI)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
24 participants
Oct 1, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how brain stimulation affects word finding problems in people who have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The type of brain stimulation used is called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tDCS delivers low levels of electric current to the brain and high definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) delivers the current with multiple electrodes on the scalp. This current is delivered with HD-tDCS to parts of the brain that may help with remembering things. The investigators hope that this can help to improve word finding and memory problems in people with TBI.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria5
- Age between 18 and 85
- Fluent in speaking and reading English
- Able to provide informed consent
- Has a TBI at least one year prior to enrollment and not related to military experience
- Has a confirmation of verbal retrieval difficulties as measured by the Verbal Retrieval Difficulty Interview questions
Exclusion Criteria13
- Lifetime major or active neurologic conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, brain tumor, dementia, seizure occurrence less than one year ago)
- Lifetime major or active cardiovascular conditions (e.g., cardiac arrythmia, heart failure, heart attack)
- Current substance use disorder
- Lifetime major psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
- Severe depression at the time of enrollment (BDI-II >= 29) or psychiatric ER visits or hospitalization less than 6 months ago prior to enrollment
- Current sensory (e.g., blind, deaf) or physical (e.g., severe motor weakness) impairment that interferes with testing
- Contraindications for tDCS or MRI
- The person cannot be left alone for 8+ hours.
- Not verbally communicative.
- Currently undergoing and not wishing to discontinue speech and cognitive therapy during study participation.
- Incapable of understanding the consent or unable to consent for oneself.
- Unable to travel to BIDMC's Berenson-Allen Center
- Pregnancy
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Interventions
Transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim 20 or 32. Stimulation will consist of 1 milliamp stimulation, with anodal stimulation delivered at electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, then remain at 1 milliamp of stimulation over 20 minutes, and finally ramping down at to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds.
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered via a Neuroelectrics Starstim 20 or 32. The sham setup will consist of anodal electrode Fz (International 10/10 System for electroencephalography electrode placement) and electrodes F7, FP1, FP2, and F8 as returns. All electrodes are 1 cm diameter Ag/AgCl electrodes and make contact with the scalp via connective gel. Stimulation will linearly ramp up from 0 milliamps to 1 milliamp over 60 seconds, ramp down to 0 milliamps over 60 seconds and then be left off for 20 minutes.
Locations(1)
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NCT06848140