This page is alzhub.org's plain-English summary of a published study, not the paper itself. It is generated from the record we hold for this study, sourced and linked below — check the original for the full text and methods.

45/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 45 out of 100. Genetics

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive intervention for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This prospective study investigated the relationship between optimized electrical field (EF) strength of tDCS and white matter (WM) microstructural changes in 55 individuals with MCI. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based computational modeling was used to optimize EF strength targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) assessed WM integrity through fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Higher EF strength was significantly associated with increased FA and reduced MD and RD in specific left-lateralized tracts, including the anterior thalamic radiation, corticospinal tract, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. These EF-dependent WM changes were moderated by Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related factors. Greater WM plasticity was observed in Aβ-positive individuals, APOE ε4 non-carriers, and BDNF Met non-carriers. Moreover, APOE ε4 status significantly moderated the relationship between EF strength and executive function; in non-carriers, stronger EF strength was associated with improved Stroop performance, potentially reflecting enhanced WM integrity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. However, no significant associations were observed between EF-sensitive tracts and short-term cognitive changes in the full sample, suggesting that structural modifications may precede functional improvements or require longer follow-up. These findings emphasize the importance of individual AD-related factors in shaping neuromodulatory responses. They also support the need for longitudinal, sham-controlled studies to clarify the clinical implications of EF strength in personalized tDCS for MCI.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Lee, J., Kim, S., Kim, S., Um, Y. H., Wang, S., Kim, T., et al. (2025). Alzheimer-related individual factors modulate effects of transcranial direct current stimulation strength on white matter integrity in mild cognitive impairment. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27612-7

Vancouver

Lee J, Kim S, Kim S, Um YH, Wang S, Kim T, et al. Alzheimer-related individual factors modulate effects of transcranial direct current stimulation strength on white matter integrity in mild cognitive impairment. Scientific Reports. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-27612-7. PMID: 41408121.

BibTeX

@article{lee2025-41408121,
  author  = {Lee, Jung‐Won and Kim, Sung‐Hwan and Kim, Suhyung and Um, Yoo Hyun and Wang, Sheng‐Min and Kim, TaeYeong and Kim, Donghyeon and Lim, Hyun Kook and others},
  title   = {{Alzheimer-related individual factors modulate effects of transcranial direct current stimulation strength on white matter integrity in mild cognitive impairment}},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1038/s41598-025-27612-7},
  pmid    = {41408121},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27612-7}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

Key findings

Higher EF strength was significantly associated with increased FA and reduced MD and RD in specific left-lateralized tracts, including the anterior thalamic radiation, corticospinal tract, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus.
Moreover, APOE ε4 status significantly moderated the relationship between EF strength and executive function; in non-carriers, stronger EF strength was associated with improved Stroop performance, potentially reflecting enhanced WM integrity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus.
However, no significant associations were observed between EF-sensitive tracts and short-term cognitive changes in the full sample, suggesting that structural modifications may precede functional improvements or require longer follow-up.
These findings emphasize the importance of individual AD-related factors in shaping neuromodulatory responses.

Why it matters

In 55 people with mild cognitive impairment, higher transcranial direct current stimulation electrical field strength was associated with improved white matter integrity in specific tracts, with greater plasticity in Aβ-positive individuals and APOE ε4 non-carriers. APOE ε4 status moderated the relationship between field strength and executive function, but this is a small prospective study and does not establish a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →

Study details

Study designlongitudinal study
Participants55
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 45/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Scientific Reports)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Scientific Reports: journal h-index 463 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A longitudinal study following the same people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	4 / 5	2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	1 / 4	55 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	1 / 4	Last-listed author Dong Woo Kang: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	0 / 3	Catholic University of Korea: institution h-index 375 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41408121)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	45 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.

Studies this one cites

Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.

Related studies in Genetics

Also tagged “small”

900 studies in the library carry the topic tag “small”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 900 tagged studies.

Studies sharing this one's topic tags

Similar studies

More on Genetics

See all studies in Genetics →