NCT03351452

tES Effects on Associative Memory Performance

Effects of Transcranial Electric Stimulation on Associative Memory Formation in Healthy Elderly Participants as Well as in Individuals With Memory Impairment

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 28 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Bern · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Previous studies showed that transcranial electric stimulation (tES) applied over the prefrontal cortex improves cognitive performance in healthy elderly adults as well as in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, tES methods might be a useful intervention tool for patients suffering from memory impairment in early terms of the disease. The present study aims at establishing a connection between the stimulation-induced changes on associative memory performance and its underlying neurophysiological parameters. tES effects and their underlying mechanisms will be compared between healthy elderly controls and clinical study populations receiving either real or sham tES over the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during an associative memory task.

Conditions

• Healthy
• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Alzheimer Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation	The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.
DEVICE	real transcranial alternating current stimulation	The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.
DEVICE	sham transcranial electric current stimulation	The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-04-09
• Primary completion: 2018-09-30
• Completion: 2020-02-24
• First posted: 2017-11-22
• Last updated: 2020-03-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland