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Physiology of Human Brain Connectivity
Who can join
Ages 18 to 64 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age from 18 to 64 years * Right-handed * Normal hearing and (corrected) vision * Able to understand and give informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * 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 ß-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
About the study
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.
What is being tested
- Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) (device)
- Paired associative stimulation (PAS) (device)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (diagnostic test)
Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Participants: 80 · Started: Dec 13, 2024
Contact the study team
- Netri Pajankar, MS · Phone: 617-726-2000
- Gabriel Fadel, MS · Phone: 617-726-2000
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06246942
Locations in the U.S.
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston |
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Oct 2, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.