NCT03838211

Brain Stimulation and Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults

tDCS-accompanied Cognitive Training Effects in Healthy Older Adults - Randomised, Sham Controlled, Interventional Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 56 (actual)
• Sponsor: University Medicine Greifswald · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a tDCS-accompanied intensive cognitive training of working memory leads to performance improvement in healthy older individuals.

Detailed description

The goal of the present study is to assess behavioral (primary) and neural effects of a multi-session cognitive training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Many studies to date have found tDCS to be an efficient method to enhance various cognitive functions by modulating cortical excitability in young adults, but its behavioral impact and underlying mechanisms in aging still need to be elucidated. Healthy older adults will participate in a three-week cognitive training with concurrent online tDCS application. Cognitive performance (primary), as well as structural and functional imaging data will be examined before, during and after the intervention. In order to draw conclusions about the effect of tDCS in addition to cognitive training, a control group, receiving sham stimulation during training, will be assessed. Furthermore, to assess neural correlates of performance improvement, functional and structural parameters will be measured with MRI before and after training. Follow-up sessions to assess long-term effects are planned four weeks and six months after the post assessment. The results of the study will offer valuable insights into efficacy of combined tDCS and cognitive training, as compared to training alone, in older adults. Moreover, improved understanding of tDCS effects on cognitive training performance and underlying neural correlates may help to develop novel approaches for cognitive decline in healthy and pathological aging.

Conditions

• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Anodal tDCS	Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), 9 sessions with 20 minutes stimulation each (current intensity of 1mA)
BEHAVIORAL	Intensive cognitive training	Intensive cognitive training of a letter memory updating task and a 3-stage Markov decision making task, 9 sessions

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-10-01
• Primary completion: 2019-12-01
• Completion: 2020-03-25
• First posted: 2019-02-12
• Last updated: 2021-05-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany