Brain stimulation plus cognitive training for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
tDCS and cognitive training as a neurodevelopmental intervention in FASD
Uses mild electrical brain stimulation together with cognitive exercises to try to improve thinking, attention, and daily skills in children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11369782 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Your child would take part in short sessions where a gentle, noninvasive electrical current (tDCS) is applied to the scalp while they do computer-based cognitive training exercises. The project is a randomized controlled trial that compares active tDCS plus training to a sham (placebo) stimulation plus the same training to see if adding tDCS boosts learning. Participants are children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and researchers will measure changes in attention, memory, behavior, and everyday functioning while closely monitoring safety and tolerability. This work builds on a prior pilot trial that showed the approach was safe and gave promising early cognitive improvements.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children and adolescents with a diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure who have cognitive or attention difficulties would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children without prenatal alcohol exposure or those with medical conditions that make brain stimulation unsafe (for example, uncontrolled epilepsy or implanted electronic medical devices) may not be eligible or benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve attention, memory, behavior, and everyday functioning for children with FASD, making school and daily life easier.
How similar studies have performed: A prior pilot randomized trial in children with FASD showed the combined approach was safe and suggested greater improvement with active tDCS, but larger trials are needed to confirm efficacy.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wozniak, Jeffrey Robert — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Wozniak, Jeffrey Robert
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.