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Trial registered on ANZCTR
Registration number
ACTRN12621000186853
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
28/10/2020
Date registered
22/02/2021
Date last updated
22/02/2021
Date data sharing statement initially provided
22/02/2021
Type of registration
Retrospectively registered
Titles & IDs
Public title
The effect of non-invasive neuromodulation of the pineal gland in healthy, adult males
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Scientific title
The effect of non-invasive electrical stimulation on the pineal gland sympathetic pathway and sleep metrics in a healthy, male, adult population.
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Secondary ID [1]
301939
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None
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Universal Trial Number (UTN)
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Trial acronym
SPECTRON
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Linked study record
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Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Sleep
318483
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Condition category
Condition code
Neurological
316485
316485
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0
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Studies of the normal brain and nervous system
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Mental Health
317998
317998
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0
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Studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour
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Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
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Description of intervention(s) / exposure
The sleep hygiene of healthy adult, male participants, between 18-55 years old is appraised for three nights prior to the experimental intervention. Participants’ sleep hygiene will be assessed via both subjective and objective measures. The subjective measures will be recorded via the use of a sleep diary which records subjective reporting of information pertaining to sleep time, wake time, time spent asleep, number of awakenings, length of time spent awake, ease of falling asleep, sleep disturbance, feeling of refreshment following awakening, caffeine and alcohol consumption, heavy meal consumption 2-3 hours prior to sleep, the likelihood of daytime dozing, and mood. Objective measures obtained from the wrist-worn actigraph devices include: sleep time, wake time, sleep duration, sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, light exposure, and any time the actigraph device was not worn.
If participants’ sleep hygiene is assessed as suitable for the study, they progress to the experimental phase. The experimental phase consists of a researcher-lead stimulation session during the day and a participant-lead stimulation session during the night. Each stimulation frequency is applied for one day time and one night time phase. For the experimental phase during the day, measures of sleepiness, pupil diameter, and blood flow changes are captured using electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracker glasses, and pulse oximetry, respectively. These measures are used before, during, and after 10 minutes of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) delivered at the C2 dermatome. Saliva samples are collected before and after stimulation. The experimental phase during the night is conducted in participants’ homes. Here, they self-administer TENS stimulation at the C2 dermatome for 10 minutes. Saliva samples are self-collected before and after stimulation. Participants record the times they sit down in dim light, collect each saliva sample, and begin and end stimulation. Each stimulation frequency is applied for one day time and one night time phase. Participants record the times they sit down in dim light, collect each saliva sample, and begin and end stimulation.
Following stimulation in either the day or the night, participants will record sleep/wake information in a sleep diary and sleep wearing a single-channel EEG and a wrist-worn actigraphy device in order to assess their sleep. Participants cycle through stimulation at: 10 Hz, 80 Hz, or sham stimulation. All stimulation frequencies (including sham) are performed both during the daytime, researcher-lead phase and the night-time participant-lead phase. These phases are conducted on separate days with a one-day washout period in between. The washout period between stimulation frequencies and/or sham stimulation is two-days.
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Intervention code [1]
318228
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Treatment: Devices
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Comparator / control treatment
Placement of the electrodes on the same site C2 dermatome stimulation, but only 1 mA current used (10 Hz frequency).
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Control group
Active
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Outcomes
Primary outcome [1]
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on melatonin levels
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Assessment method [1]
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Timepoint [1]
324632
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measured using pre- and post-stimulation saliva sampling and subsequent ELISA (Buhlmann direct saliva melatonin ELISA)
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Primary outcome [2]
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on the sleep time measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy.
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Assessment method [2]
325534
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Timepoint [2]
325534
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night. This is a primary objective.
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Primary outcome [3]
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on wake time measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy.
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Assessment method [3]
326594
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Timepoint [3]
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night.
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Secondary outcome [1]
385281
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on sedation measured using bispectral (BIS) index of EEG recordings
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Assessment method [1]
385281
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Timepoint [1]
385281
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Measured continuously for 10-minutes before, 10-minutes during, and 10 minutes following daytime stimulation
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Secondary outcome [2]
388327
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on blood flow to the superficial structures of the head and neck measured using pulse oximetry
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Assessment method [2]
388327
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Timepoint [2]
388327
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Measured continuously for 10-minutes before, 10-minutes during, and 10 minutes following daytime stimulation
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Secondary outcome [3]
388328
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on pupil diameter measured using eye tracker glasses (Tobii Pro eye tracker)
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Assessment method [3]
388328
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Timepoint [3]
388328
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Measured continuously for 10-minutes before, 10-minutes during, and 10 minutes following daytime stimulation
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Secondary outcome [4]
392036
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on sleep duration.
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Assessment method [4]
392036
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Timepoint [4]
392036
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night and will be measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy. This is a primary objective.
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Secondary outcome [5]
392037
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on sleep onset latency.
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Assessment method [5]
392037
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Timepoint [5]
392037
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night and will be measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy. This is a primary objective.
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Secondary outcome [6]
392038
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on wake after sleep onset.
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Assessment method [6]
392038
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Timepoint [6]
392038
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night and will be measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy. This is a primary objective.
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Secondary outcome [7]
392039
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on sleep efficiency.
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Assessment method [7]
392039
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Timepoint [7]
392039
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This will be continuously measured during sleep for each intervention night and will be measured objectively via wrist-worn actigraphy. This is a primary objective.
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Secondary outcome [8]
392040
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on ease of falling asleep.
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Assessment method [8]
392040
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Timepoint [8]
392040
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This will be measured subjectively via self-reporting using a sleep diary once following waking up after each intervention night.
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Secondary outcome [9]
392041
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on the feeling of refreshment upon awakening.
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Assessment method [9]
392041
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Timepoint [9]
392041
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This will be measured subjectively via self-reporting using a sleep diary once following waking up after each intervention night.
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Secondary outcome [10]
392042
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on mood.
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Assessment method [10]
392042
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Timepoint [10]
392042
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This will be measured subjectively via self-reporting using a sleep diary once following waking up after each intervention night.
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Secondary outcome [11]
392043
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Effect of electrical stimulation of the C2 dermatome on the likelihood of daytime dozing.
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Assessment method [11]
392043
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Timepoint [11]
392043
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This will be measured subjectively via self-reporting using a sleep diary once following waking up after each intervention night.
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Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Healthy, (no neurological/cognitive impairments and not on any regular medication) male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 years old, with good sleep hygiene and no problems associated with sleep.
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Minimum age
18
Years
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Maximum age
55
Years
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Sex
Males
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Can healthy volunteers participate?
Yes
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Key exclusion criteria
Not consume more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day, not regularly use any recreational drugs, no history of serious medical conditions, no vision impairments other than glasses/contact lenses, no allergies, no plans to travel across time zones or undertake shift work in the next month, not work shifts, not excessively consume caffeine (approx. >6 cups of coffee per day).
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Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
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Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
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Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
As this is a cross-over study, all participants will receive both frequencies and sham stimulation throughout the course of the study, however, the order in which each they receive each frequency/sham stimulation is randomised via Latin square design in order to counterbalance allocation. Each participant was assigned a unique number and the Latin square was randomly generated using a computer.
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Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Use of William James design through software ‘Compusense’
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Masking / blinding
Open (masking not used)
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Who is / are masked / blinded?
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Intervention assignment
Crossover
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Other design features
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Phase
Not Applicable
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Type of endpoint/s
Efficacy
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Statistical methods / analysis
Use of paired sample t-test/ Wilcoxon Sign rank test (dependent on normal sample distribution) to observe the changes in melatonin levels (via saliva samples), pupil diameter, and sleepiness before and after the stimulation stage. Use of repeated-measures ANOVA to observe the time differences in sleep metrics before and after stimulation.
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Recruitment
Recruitment status
Recruiting
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Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
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Actual
3/09/2020
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Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
31/03/2021
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Actual
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Date of last data collection
Anticipated
31/05/2021
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Actual
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Sample size
Target
20
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Accrual to date
8
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Final
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Recruitment outside Australia
Country [1]
22810
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New Zealand
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State/province [1]
22810
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Otago
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Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1]
306356
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University
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Name [1]
306356
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University of Otago -PBRF fund
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Address [1]
306356
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University of Otago Department of Anatomy, Lindo Ferguson Building
270 Great King St, Dunedin 9016
New Zealand
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Country [1]
306356
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New Zealand
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Primary sponsor type
University
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Name
University of Otago
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Address
University of Otago Department of Anatomy, Lindo Ferguson Building
270 Great King St, Dunedin 9016
New Zealand
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Country
New Zealand
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Secondary sponsor category [1]
307544
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None
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Name [1]
307544
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Address [1]
307544
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Country [1]
307544
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Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
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Ethics committee name [1]
306564
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University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Health)
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Ethics committee address [1]
306564
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University of Otago Council PO Box 56 Dunedin 9054 New Zealand
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Ethics committee country [1]
306564
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New Zealand
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Date submitted for ethics approval [1]
306564
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03/06/2020
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Approval date [1]
306564
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19/06/2020
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Ethics approval number [1]
306564
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H20/064
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Summary
Brief summary
This study investigates whether non-invasive, electrical stimulation delivered at a specific area of the skin associated with a pathway to a part of the brain responsible for producing melatonin can subsequently alter melatonin levels and therefore, influence sleep. Healthy adult, male volunteers between 18-55 years old will be recruited. We employ two different frequencies (10 Hz and 80 Hz) and a sham stimulation as a control measure to investigate our hypothesis. It is hypothesised that these two different frequencies may exert opposite effects.
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Trial website
NA
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Trial related presentations / publications
NA
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Public notes
None
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Contacts
Principal investigator
Name
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A/Prof Yusuf Ozgur Cakmak
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Address
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Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Lindo Ferguson Building, 270 Great King Street, 9054, Dunedin
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Country
104298
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New Zealand
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Phone
104298
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+64034793040
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Fax
104298
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Email
104298
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[email protected]
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Contact person for public queries
Name
104299
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A/Prof Yusuf Ozgur Cakmak
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Address
104299
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Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago,Lindo Ferguson Building, 270 Great King Street, 9054, Dunedin
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Country
104299
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New Zealand
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Phone
104299
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+64034793040
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Fax
104299
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Email
104299
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[email protected]
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Contact person for scientific queries
Name
104300
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A/Prof Yusuf Ozgur Cakmak
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Address
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Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago,Lindo Ferguson Building, 270 Great King Street, 9054, Dunedin
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Country
104300
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New Zealand
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Phone
104300
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+64034793040
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Fax
104300
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Email
104300
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[email protected]
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Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
No
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No/undecided IPD sharing reason/comment
The study results will be analysed as groups and results will be published as a research paper.
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What supporting documents are/will be available?
No Supporting Document Provided
Results publications and other study-related documents
Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.
Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.
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