Zap your brain to master guitar hero? study tests tDCS for motor learning
NCT ID NCT07202702
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS could help people learn a complex video game task, like playing Guitar Hero. About 40 healthy adults aged 18-45 were randomly assigned to receive either real or fake (sham) stimulation while practicing the game. The trial was terminated early, so the results are limited, but the goal was to see if tDCS improves motor skill learning and retention.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward ways to enhance motor skill learning, potentially aiding rehabilitation after injury.
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early, so data is incomplete. It was a small, early-stage study with no clear clinical outcome, and the effect of tDCS on learning is still uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
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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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- 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 16 on the tDCS checklist as these factors can increase likelihood of adverse events with tDCS * No neurological damage, disease, or dysfunction (nerve damage, chronic pain disorders, diabetic neuropathy) that affect the upper limbs. * No significant acute or chronic medical, neurologic, or illness in the patient that, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, could compromise subject safety, limit the ability to complete the study, and/or compromise the objectives of the study 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 session 1 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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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Institute for Fitness and Sport
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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