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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.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real tDCS | Experimental | 20 min of 2 mA real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation applied via 5x7 cm rubber electrode over the VLPFC (current density: 0.057 mA/cm2) and cathodal 10x10 rubber electrode over supraorbital region (current density: 0.02 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase of 15 s at the beginning and the end of stimulation. |
|
| Real tACS | Experimental | 20 min of 2 mA real transcranial alternating current stimulation in theta frequency applied via 5x7 cm and 10x10 cm rubber electrodes over the VLPFC (current density: 0.057 mA/cm2) and supraorbital region (current density: 0.02 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase of 15 s at the beginning and the end of stimulation. |
|
| Sham tES | Sham Comparator | 30 s of 2 mA sham transcranial electric current stimulation applied via 5x7 cm and 10x10 cm rubber electrodes over the VLPFC (current density: 0.057 mA/cm2) and supraorbital region (current density: 0.02 mA/cm2). Additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase at beginning and end of stimulation lasting for 15 s. Electrodes remain attached to the participant's head for the duration of the encoding phase of the memory task. |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| real anodal transcranial direct current stimulation | Device | The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used. |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Performance on immediate cued recall task | Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items | 20 min |
| Performance on delayed cued recall task | Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items | 24 hours |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| task-dependent BOLD activity | Measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) | 20 min |
| resting-state BOLD activity | Measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Performance on cued recall task | Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items | follow-up after 24 hours |
| Performance on recognition task | Number of correct responses on retrieval task of previously learned associative memory items |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Stefan Klöppel, Prof.Dr.med | University of Bern | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy | Bern | 3000 | Switzerland |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D060825 | Cognitive Dysfunction |
| D000544 | Alzheimer Disease |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D003072 | Cognition Disorders |
| D019965 | Neurocognitive Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
| D003704 | Dementia |
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| real transcranial alternating current stimulation | Device | The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used. |
|
| sham transcranial electric current stimulation | Device | The MR-compatible neuroConn DC-Stimulator MR (neuroCare Group, Ilmenau, Germany) will be used. |
|
| 10 min |
| follow-up after 24 hours |
| D001927 |
| Brain Diseases |
| D002493 | Central Nervous System Diseases |
| D009422 | Nervous System Diseases |
| D024801 | Tauopathies |
| D019636 | Neurodegenerative Diseases |