Control Network Neuromodulation to Enhance Cognitive Training in Complex Traumatic Brain Injury

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Traumatic Brain Injury

In brief

The CONNECT-TBI Trial aims to develop safe, effective treatments for complex mTBI that improve cognitive functioning. Based on the compelling preliminary data generated by our study team, the objective of this study is to conduct a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled Phase II clinical trial of APT-3 combined with rTMS, HD-tDCS, or sham to treat cognitive control deficits in Veterans with complex mTBI and PPCS. At the Baseline Visit, participants will undergo demographic, neuropsychological, behavioral, and quality of life testing. They will also undergo structural MRI to permit modeling of their brain, resting/task-related fMRI to identify the CCN, and pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess for other pathologies. They will then be randomized to 16 sessions of APT-3 with concurrent rTMS, HD-tDCS, or sham stimulation delivered to the unique functional left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a primary node of the CCN. Lastly, they will repeat all baseline tests, and report on 3- and 6-month recovery levels to establish longevity and stability of subjective benefit. Given that this individualization protocol has never been attempted for cognitive rehabilitation in military mTBI, we expect this trial will generate useful effect sizes for HD-tDCS and rTMS to be used for powering the next step, a Phase III multi-center trial.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05236010

Run by

University of New Mexico

People needed

108

Starts

2022-01-21

Expected to finish

2026-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 59. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• There will be no gender restrictions with regard to sample inclusion. Veterans and Warfighters will be enrolled in this study if they 1) are aged 18-59; 2) have suffered a mild TBI with documented evidence of alteration in neurological functioning or loss of consciousness (LOC) which was less than 30 minutes; 3) were injured between 3 months and 5 years ago; 4) experienced less than 24 hours of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA); 5) have subjective post-TBI cognitive deficits as assessed by the NSI, with at least 1 of 4 cognitive symptoms at a score of 3 or higher (severe disturbance) or at least 2 of 4 cognitive symptoms at a score of 2 or higher (moderate disturbance). This is the target population as identified by the grant mechanism, with chronic cognitive impairments from mild traumatic brain injury. The age range of 18-59 years was selected because the investigators did not want to include developmental processes in analyses and by 18 years old, many major neurodevelopmental changes in the brain will have taken place. Using similar rationale, the investigators chose to include participants up to the age of 59 because they do not want to include advancing age-related brain changes in our analyses. They will also be 6) fluent in English, as the testing and intervention are all conducted in English; and 7) will have been on stable doses of any psychotropic medications for the past 2 months, so as to avoid confounding of results by medication effects. It is expected that the sample included in this study will reflect the demographics of the greater Albuquerque and Twin Cities metropolitan communities.

You may not qualify if…

• Veterans will be excluded from participation in this study if there is 1) a prior history of other neurological disease or any history of seizures beyond immediate post-traumatic seizure, so as to reduce risk of exacerbation of epilepsy or other neurological symptoms; 2) history of psychosis, so as to reduce risk of psychiatric decompensation; 3) history of current or recent (within two years) substance/alcohol dependence, to reduce confounding effects on cognition; 4) any discontinuity in skull electrical conductivity (i.e., unhealed burr holes in scalp) or artificially constructed (metal or plastic) craniotomy cover, to reduce risk of unimpeded electrical current; 5) presence of any implanted metal or electrical device (e.g. pacemaker), to reduce risk of heating during MRI, or device malfunction during neuromodulation; 6) recent medical hospitalization (within three weeks), to reduce risk of medical decompensation during the study; 7) any condition that would prevent the participant from completing the protocol, such as significant agitation; 8) appointment of a legal representative, as assessed via direct inquiry of the participant or a designated trusted other, to avoid coercion of a vulnerable population; 9) any significant hardness of hearing or blindness that would make completing the cognitive training not possible; 10) any ongoing litigation related to TBI, to prevent interference with legal proceedings; 11) any other contraindication to exposure to strong magnetic fields or MRI, such as severe claustrophobia; 12) pregnant women will be excluded as the effects of MRI and brain stimulation on developing fetuses are unknown; 13) membership in an identified vulnerable population, including minors, and prisoners, and adults unable to consent due to cognitive impairment will be excluded, as they will be unlikely to be able to complete study procedures. Prisoners will be excluded from the study to avoid coercion; 14)received a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) less than 13 or greater than 15 upon ED admission, if available in patient's records.
• The investigators do not intend to include adults who are unable to consent in this study.
• The investigators do not intend to include individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) in this study.
• The investigators do not intend to include pregnant women in this study.
• The investigators do not intend to include prisoners in this study.

Where it is running

• Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (enrolling)
• New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System — Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States (enrolling)
• The University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
• The Mind Research Network — Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
• The University of New Mexico — Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.