Scientists zap brains to understand video game learning
NCT ID NCT07588113
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how a brain area called the primary motor cortex helps us learn and remember new motor skills. Researchers will use a non-invasive technique called rTMS to temporarily lower activity in this area while 32 healthy adults learn to play a song on Guitar Hero. The goal is to see if this affects how well they learn during practice and how much they improve between practice sessions.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Between ages 18 and 45 years old (to avoid any changes in the developing brain, or with aging). * Answer 'no' to questions 2 through 17 on the brain stimulation questionnaire as these factors can increase likelihood of adverse events with brain stimulation. * No neurological damage, disease, or dysfunction (nerve damage, chronic pain disorders, diabetic neuropathy, epilepsy) that affect the upper limbs and limit the ability to complete the study, and/or compromise the objectives of the study * No significant visual impairment that would prevent them from playing a video game. Exclusion Criteria: * Currently prescribed and taking stimulant medication (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, etc.) * Consumption of over-the-counter stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine (coffee, soda, supplements, energy drinks, tobacco products, or other nicotine containing products such as gum, vape pens, etc...) 12 hours prior to entering the lab on the day of testing as this can directly affect cortical excitability. If a subject takes any of these substances 12 hours prior to the study visit they will be asked to reschedule for a later date. * Have played a real stringed instrument in the last 12 months (e.g. guitar, bass, violin) * Have played the videogame "Guitar Hero" on a traditional guitar controller in the last 12 months.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Institute for Fitness and Sport
RECRUITINGIndianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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