Transcranial direct current stimulation as a memory enhancer in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Autor: Per M. Aslaksen, Lene Nordvang, Nina Gundersen, Ole Kristian Grønli, Ingrid Daae Rasmussen, Henrik A.S. Wang-Iversen, Martin Bystad
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
0301 basic medicine
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Cognitive Neuroscience
medicine.medical_treatment
VDP::Social science: 200::Psychology: 260
Trail Making Test
Clinical Neurology
Placebo-controlled study
Neuropsychological Tests
Verbal learning
Placebo
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
law.invention
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Randomized controlled trial
law
Alzheimer Disease
Memory
Neuropsychology
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Aged
Aged
80 and over
Mini–Mental State Examination
Transcranial direct-current stimulation
medicine.diagnostic_test
Neuromodulation
Research
Recognition
Psychology
Temporal Lobe
030104 developmental biology
Memory
Short-Term
Neurology
VDP::Samfunnsvitenskap: 200::Psykologi: 260
Female
Neurology (clinical)
Verbal memory
Psychology
Mental Status Schedule
Alzheimer’s disease
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Clinical psychology
Zdroj: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy
ISSN: 1758-9193
Popis: Background The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on verbal memory function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which tDCS was applied in six 30-minute sessions for 10 days. tDCS was delivered to the left temporal cortex with 2-mA intensity. A total of 25 patients with Alzheimer’s disease were enrolled in the study. All of the patients were diagnosed according to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. Twelve patients received active stimulation, and thirteen patients received placebo stimulation. The primary outcome measure was the change in two parallel versions of the California Verbal Learning Test–Second Edition, a standardized neuropsychological memory test normalized by age and gender. The secondary outcome measures were the Mini Mental State Examination, clock-drawing test, and Trail Making Test A and B. Results Changes in the California Verbal Learning Test–Second Edition scores were not significantly different between the active and placebo stimulation groups for immediate recall (p = 0.270), delayed recall (p = 0.052), or recognition (p = 0.089). There were nonsignificant differences in score changes on the Mini Mental State Examination (p = 0.799), clock-drawing test (p = 0.378), and Trail Making Test A (p = 0.288) and B (p = 0.093). Adverse effects were not observed. Conclusions Compared with placebo stimulation, active tDCS stimulation in this clinical trial did not significantly improve verbal memory function in Alzheimer’s disease. This study differs from previous studies in terms of the stimulation protocol, trial design, and application of standardized neuropsychological memory assessment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02518412. Registered on 10 August 2015.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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