# tDCS and cognitive training as a neurodevelopmental intervention in FASD

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2022 · $444,258

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) comprise a range of effects from prenatal alcohol exposure
(PAE) including neurological abnormalities, cognitive and behavioral impairments, growth retardation,
and craniofacial anomalies. Very few treatments have been investigated despite the tremendous
public health burden posed by FASD. Cognition is a natural target for intervention because deficits
contribute to problems with adaptive functioning, social skills, and independent living. A decade of
research suggests that cognitive training has beneficial effects on functional brain networks -
mediating cognition in a variety of neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. We believe it
can improve cognitive performance in individuals with FASD. The primary objective of our existing
line of neuromodulation research and the proposed RCT is to leverage the ability of tDCS to enhance
cortical excitability and neural plasticity in order to maximize the cognitive training benefits in children
and adolescents with FASD.
 Recently we carried out a pilot randomized controlled trial of tDCS-augmented cognitive
training to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of this approach in children with FASD (Boroda,
Krueger, et al., 2020). We showed that the intervention was safe and well-tolerated in this population.
Further, despite applying a relatively low-dose of tDCS and cognitive training, we found that the group
receiving active-tDCS demonstrated greater improvements on an attention task than a group
receiving sham-tDCS. These promising pilot results merit replication in a larger clinical trial.
 We propose a fully-powered randomized controlled trial of 60 (at completion) children and
adolescents with FASD who will receive cognitive training in combination with tDCS. We hypothesize
that, in conjunction with cognitive training, five initial sessions of active tDCS will produce a
significantly greater improvement in sustained attention (CPT) than sham tDCS. We also
hypothesize that, in conjunction with cognitive training, a total of ten sessions of active tDCS will
produce a significantly greater improvement in sustained attention (CPT) than five sessions of active
tDCS. We also aim to establish the long-term durability of neurocognitive improvements and
associated behavioral changes resulting from tDCS and cognitive training. Finally, we plan to use
pre-intervention and post-intervention resting-state fMRI data to show functional network changes
related to the intervention and to quantify the relationship between dose and functional network
changes. Results of the trial will directly inform future clinical implementation of cognitive training and
tDCS as a potential neurodevelopmental intervention.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10467243
- **Project number:** 1U01AA030164-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey Robert Wozniak
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $444,258
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-10 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10467243

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10467243, tDCS and cognitive training as a neurodevelopmental intervention in FASD (1U01AA030164-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10467243. Licensed CC0.

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