scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Episodic Memory in Healthy Older Adults by Modulating Retrieval-Specific Activation

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lijuan Huo ◽  
Zhiwei Zheng ◽  
Jia Huang ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

Memory decline has become an issue of major importance in the aging society. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) is a viable tool to counteract age-associated episodic memory deterioration. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. In this single-blind, sham-controlled study, we combined atDCS and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the behavioral and neural consequences of multiple-session atDCS in older adults. Forty-nine healthy older adults received either 10 sessions of anodal or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Before and after stimulation, participants performed a source memory task in the MRI scanner. Compared to sham stimulation, atDCS significantly improved item memory performance. Additionally, atDCS significantly increased regional brain activity around the stimulation area in the prefrontal cortex and extended to the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex. Neural changes in the prefrontal cortex correlated with memory gains. Our findings therefore indicate that multiple-session offline atDCS may improve memory in older adults by inducing neural alterations.

scholarly journals Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhance Functionality in Older Adults? A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 2981
Author(s):  
Andrés Pino-Esteban ◽  
Álvaro Megía-García ◽  
David Martín-Caro Álvarez ◽  
Hector Beltran-Alacreu ◽  
Juan Avendaño-Coy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Potential Benefits

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, easy to administer, well-tolerated, and safe technique capable of affecting brain excitability, both at the cortical and cerebellum levels. However, its effectiveness has not been sufficiently assessed in all population segments or clinical applications. This systematic review aimed at compiling and summarizing the currently available scientific evidence about the effect of tDCS on functionality in older adults over 60 years of age. A search of databases was conducted to find randomized clinical trials that applied tDCS versus sham stimulation in the above-mentioned population. No limits were established in terms of date of publication. A total of 237 trials were found, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Finally, nine studies were analyzed, including 260 healthy subjects with average age between 61.0 and 85.8 years. Seven of the nine included studies reported superior improvements in functionality variables following the application of tDCS compared to sham stimulation. Anodal tDCS applied over the motor cortex may be an effective technique for improving balance and posture control in healthy older adults. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to determine the most effective protocols and to clarify potential benefits for older adults.

scholarly journals Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex influences perceived pleasantness of food

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric C Anderson ◽  
Julie Cantelon ◽  
Amanda Holmes ◽  
Grace Giles ◽  
Tad Brunye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Excitability ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

The ability to regulate the intake of unhealthy foods is critical in modern, calorie dense food environments. Frontal areas of the brain, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), are thought to play a central role in cognitive control and emotional regulation. Therefore, increasing activity in the DLPFC may enhance these functions which could improve the ability to reappraise and resist consuming highly palatable but unhealthy foods. One technique for modifying brain activity is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive technique for modulating neuronal excitability that can influence performance on a range of cognitive tasks. We tested whether tDCS targeting the DLPFC would influence how people perceived highly palatable foods. In the present study, 98 participants were randomly assigned to receive a single session of active tDCS or sham stimulation. While receiving active or sham stimulation, participants viewed images of highly palatable foods and reported how pleasant it would be to eat each food (liking) and how strong their urge was to eat each food (wanting). We found that participants who received active versus sham tDCS stimulation perceived food as less pleasant, but there was no difference in how strong their urge was to eat the foods. Our findings suggest that modulating excitability in the DLPFC influences “liking” but not “wanting” of highly palatable foods. Non-invasive brain stimulation might be a useful technique for influencing the hedonic experience of eating and might have implications for changing food consumption.

scholarly journals Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Neural Networks in Young and Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1817-1828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Martin ◽  
Marcus Meinzer ◽  
Robert Lindenberg ◽  
Mira M. Sieg ◽  
Laura Nachtigall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Motor Speech ◽  
Word Generation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Components Analysis

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a viable tool to improve motor and cognitive function in advanced age. However, although a number of studies have demonstrated improved cognitive performance in older adults, other studies have failed to show restorative effects. The neural effects of beneficial stimulation response in both age groups is lacking. In the current study, tDCS was administered during simultaneous fMRI in 42 healthy young and older participants. Semantic word generation and motor speech baseline tasks were used to investigate behavioral and neural effects of uni- and bihemispheric motor cortex tDCS in a three-way, crossover, sham tDCS controlled design. Independent components analysis assessed differences in task-related activity between the two age groups and tDCS effects at the network level. We also explored whether laterality of language network organization was effected by tDCS. Behaviorally, both active tDCS conditions significantly improved semantic word retrieval performance in young and older adults and were comparable between groups and stimulation conditions. Network-level tDCS effects were identified in the ventral and dorsal anterior cingulate networks in the combined sample during semantic fluency and motor speech tasks. In addition, a shift toward enhanced left laterality was identified in the older adults for both active stimulation conditions. Thus, tDCS results in common network-level modulations and behavioral improvements for both age groups, with an additional effect of increasing left laterality in older adults.

scholarly journals Evidence Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control in Older Adults

Vision ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Po Chen ◽  
Andreas Stenling ◽  
Liana Machado
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movement ◽  
Eye Movement Control ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Age Related

Objectives: Ageing is associated with declines in voluntary eye movement control, which negatively impact the performance of daily activities. Therapies treating saccadic eye movement control deficits are currently lacking. To address the need for an effective therapy to treat age-related deficits in saccadic eye movement control, the current study investigated whether saccadic behaviour in older adults can be improved by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using a montage that has been proven to be effective at improving nonoculomotor control functions. Method: The tDCS protocol entailed a 5 cm × 7 cm anodal electrode and an encephalic cathodal reference electrode positioned over the contralateral supraorbital area. In two experiments, healthy older men completed one active (1.5 mA current for 10 min) and one sham stimulation session, with the session order counterbalanced across participants, and eye movement testing following stimulation. In the first experiment, participants rested during the tDCS (offline), whereas in the follow-up experiment, participants engaged in antisaccades during the tDCS (online). Results: Analyses revealed improvements in saccadic performance following active anodal tDCS relative to sham stimulation in the online experiment, but not in the offline experiment, which was presumably due to the activation of the relevant networks during tDCS promoting more targeted effects. Discussion: These outcomes converge with findings pertaining to nonoculomotor cognitive functions, and provide evidence that tDCS can improve saccadic eye movement control in older adults.

scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation May Improve Cognitive-Motor Function in Functionally Limited Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 788-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad Manor ◽  
Junhong Zhou ◽  
Rachel Harrison ◽  
On-Yee Lo ◽  
Thomas G. Travison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dual Tasking ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Objective. To determine the effects of a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention with the anode placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and cathode over the right supraorbital region, on cognition, mobility, and “dual-task” standing and walking in older adults with mild-to-moderate motor and cognitive impairments. Methods. A double-blinded, block-randomized, sham-controlled trial was conducted in 18 nondemented, ambulatory adults aged ⩾65 years with slow walking speed (⩽1.0 m/s) and “executive” dysfunction (Trail Making Test B score ⩽25th percentile of age- and education-matched norms). Interventions included ten 20-minute sessions of tDCS or sham stimulation. Cognition, mobility, and dual-task standing and walking were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 2 weeks thereafter. Dual tasking was also assessed immediately before and after the first tDCS session. Results. Intervention compliance was high (mean ± SD = 9.5 ± 1.1 sessions) and no unexpected or serious side effects were reported. tDCS, compared with sham, induced improvements in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment total score ( P = .03) and specifically within the executive function subscore of this test ( P = .002), and in several metrics of dual-task standing and walking ( P < .05). Each of these effects persisted for 2 weeks. tDCS had no effect on the Timed Up-and-Go test of mobility or the Geriatric Depression Scale. Those participants who exhibited larger improvements in dual-task standing posture following the first tDCS session exhibited larger cognitive-motor improvements following 2 weeks of tDCS ( P < .04). Interpretation. tDCS intervention designed to stimulate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may improve executive function and dual tasking in older adults with functional limitations.

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