Soterix Medical Inc. announced today a multidisciplinary study to determine if High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) in conjunction with other interventions could improve adaptive reasoning and fluid intelligence. The Beckman Institute project, named INSIGHT (“An integrative system for enhancing fluid intelligence (Gf) through human cognitive activity, fitness, high-definition transcranial direct-current brain stimulation, and nutritional intervention”) received $12.7 million in funding over 42 months from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The INSIGHT project directly supports IARPA’s SHARP (Strengthening Human Adaptive Reasoning and Problem-solving) program, whose goal is to develop evidence-based tools and methods that can improve the quality of human judgment and reasoning in complex, real world environments. Headed by Aron K. Barbey, in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Beckman Institute and in the College of Applied Health Sciences, the INSIGHT clinical trial is designed to establish a comprehensive and rigorous brain training protocol that incorporates the best available cognitive, physical fitness, neuromodulation, and nutritional interventions for the enhancement of fluid intelligence. The INSIGHT trial will be one of the largest scientific studies investigating fluid intelligence conducted to date: nearly 2,000 individuals organized into four cohorts over a three-and-a-half year period, for more than 100,000 hours of planned data collection. INSIGHT program participants will engage in the training activities over 18 weeks in an effort to improve reasoning and problem solving skills. In one study arm, High-Definition tDCS will be integrated with cognitive training to investigate increased learning and performance during targeted neuromodulation. Dr. Abhishek Datta, CTO of Soterix Medical Inc. summarizes “The deployment of our HD-tDCS into potentially the largest international trial on fluid intelligence is a historical milestone in the investigation of neuromodulation to enhance human brain performance. The use of Soterix Medical HD-tDCS technology is critical to allow targeting of specific brain structures implicated in fluid intelligence with a non-invasive and well-tolerated intervention. Soterix Medical engineers and scientists continue to work closely with the Beckman Institute to facilitate safe and reliable high-throughput testing in this large clinical trial. The results of this trial may profoundly influence the development of device-based neuro-enhacement relevant to both medical and non-medical applications.” CAUTION: tDCS and HD-tDCS are limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use only.

BACKGROUND: High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) is an exclusive Neuromodulation technology developed by Soterix Medical Inc. Invented at The City College of New York, it is the only technology platform that allows tolerated non-invasive delivery of therapeutic current to desired brain regions. As a result, HD-tDCS offers potential for safe and effective treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders not possible with any other technology. HD-tDCS is made possible through innovations in electrode design allowing safe and tolerated passage of current through proprietary “High-Definition” electrodes, individualized brain current-flow modeling and through patented targeting algorithms indicating how to place and energize HD-electrodes on the head.

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