Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Face Recognition

Overseen By Joy Hirsch, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Yale University

Disqualifiers: Seizure history, Recreational drug use

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial examines how two brains sync during social interactions. Researchers use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which applies magnetic pulses to the brain, to determine its effect on face recognition. Participants are divided into two groups: one receives TMS on a targeted area, while the other receives a "sham" TMS that does not target any specific brain area. Healthy individuals who have never had seizures or used recreational drugs around the time of the study may qualify as candidates. As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on brain interactions.

What prior data suggests that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is safe for face recognition studies?

Research has shown that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is generally safe and well-tolerated. TMS has been used for many years as a non-invasive treatment with a strong safety record.

One study highlighted its safety and suggested that it usually doesn't cause major side effects. Some reports mention that a few people might experience mild headaches or dizziness, but these effects are temporary. Experts also believe that TMS is safe for adults and recommend similar guidelines for younger individuals.

Overall, TMS is considered a safe method to study brain functions without causing harm. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is unique because it offers a non-invasive way to potentially improve face recognition by directly targeting specific brain regions involved in this process. Unlike standard treatments, which might include medications or cognitive therapies that work more generally on brain function, TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in targeted areas of the brain. Researchers are excited about TMS because it allows for precise modulation of brain activity, which could lead to faster and more targeted improvements in face recognition abilities. This precision and potential for quick results make TMS a promising alternative to traditional approaches.

What evidence suggests that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation might be effective for face recognition?

This trial will compare the effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on face recognition by applying TMS to targeted regions versus a non-targeted region. Research has shown that TMS can influence face recognition. The location of TMS application in the brain can enhance or impair this ability. For instance, applying TMS to the superior temporal sulcus (STS) tends to improve face recognition. However, targeting other areas might reduce accuracy. One study found that using TMS on the "occipital face area" helps individuals recognize facial features more easily. These findings suggest that TMS can affect brain areas involved in face recognition, potentially aiding in understanding and improving social interactions. ^{4 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Joy Hirsch, PhD

Principal Investigator

Yale University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Inclusion Criteria

I am an adult who developed typically.

Exclusion Criteria

No prior history of seizure activity

Self reported absence of recreational drugs at time of study

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Pre-TMS/fNIRS Experiment

Participants undergo a before TMS/fNIRS experiment two to three days prior to the TMS experiment

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

TMS Experiment

Participants undergo a functional dyadic neuroimaging session after TMS stimulation

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Experimental Comparator Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

TMS to targeted regions

Group II: Sham Comparator Placebo Group 1 Intervention

TMS to a non-targeted region.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Yale University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,963

Recruited

3,046,000+

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Collaborator

Trials

3,007

Recruited

2,852,000+

Citations

1.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6670866/

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Disrupts the Perception ...

Accuracy dropped when pulses were delivered at 60–100 ms at rOFA and at 100–140 and 130–170 ms at rSC. These sequential impairments at rOFA and ...

2.

sciencedirect.com

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393224000927

The role of preSMA and STS in face recognition

Contrary to what happens with rigid head movement, STS stimulation caused a significant improvement in face recognition when faces were encoded ...

3.

lab.faceblind.org

lab.faceblind.org/papers/Pitcher_TMS_Chapter.pdf

Transcranial magnetic stimulation studies of face processing

Topographic mapping of trans-cranial magnetic stimulation data on surface rendered MR images of the brain. Electroencephalography and Clinical ...

4.

researchgate.net

researchgate.net/publication/257205208_TMS_to_the_occipital_face_area_affects_recognition_but_not_categorization_of_faces

TMS to the "occipital face area" affects recognition but not ...

Results showed that FFA stimulation led to enhanced efficiency of facial features recognition. Additionally, no effect of OFA stimulation was found for ...

5.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7654714/

Effects of Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ...

Collectively, these results revealed that online rTMS significantly disrupted accuracy and reaction time performance when applied at 10 or 20 Hz on specific ...

6.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12910563/

Evidence for safety and tolerability of transcranial magnetic ...

For decades, substance use has been recognized as a potential risk for increased side effects with TMS, yet the data on its safety has been limited to expert ...

7.

sciencedirect.com

sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1935861X14001703

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) ...

Poor facial affect recognition is closely related to poor functional outcome; however, neither social cognitive impairments nor functional outcome are ...

8.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9497193/

Recognition and Processing of Visual Information after ... - PMC

We tested the inhibitory effects of repetitive TMS (rTMS) on reaction times to militarily relevant visual stimuli amidst distractors.