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69/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 69 out of 100. Prevention trials

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Twelve studies with 195 PwD and four with 53 PwMCI met the inclusion criteria. Eleven articles were ranked as Level 1b. The results on the meta-analysis on pooled effects of memory indicated a statistically significant medium effect size of 0.39 ( p = 0.04) for immediate effects. This improvement was not maintained in the long term 0.15 ( p = 0.44). tDCS improves memory in PwD in the short term, it also seems to have a mild positive effect on memory and language in PwMCI. However, there is no conclusive advantage in coupling tDCS with cognitive training. More rigorous evidence is needed to establish whether tDCS can serve as an evidence-based intervention for both populations.

Key findings

Twelve studies with 195 PwD and four with 53 PwMCI met the inclusion criteria.
The results on the meta-analysis on pooled effects of memory indicated a statistically significant medium effect size of 0.39 ( p = 0.04) for immediate effects.
This improvement was not maintained in the long term 0.15 ( p = 0.44). tDCS improves memory in PwD in the short term, it also seems to have a mild positive effect on memory and language in PwMCI.
However, there is no conclusive advantage in coupling tDCS with cognitive training.
More rigorous evidence is needed to establish whether tDCS can serve as an evidence-based intervention for both populations.

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Study details

Study designsystematic review
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 69/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 40 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 69 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in human neuroscience)
Journal's citation record	— / 4	No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score
Study design	12 / 12	A systematic review of all the studies on the question
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here
Times cited	— / 7	No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year	— / 5	No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year	— / 6	No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here	— / 6	Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited	— / 4	No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record	— / 4	Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record	— / 3	No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multi-centre collaboration	— / 3	Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30386223)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Points	40 / 58	Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 40 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 69 out of 100.
Total	69 / 100	—

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

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

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Cruz Gonzalez, P., Fong, K. N. K., Chung, R. C. K., Ting, K. H., Law, L. L. F., & Brown, T. (2018). Can Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Alone or Combined With Cognitive Training Be Used as a Clinical Intervention to Improve Cognitive Functioning in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in human neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00416

Vancouver

Cruz Gonzalez P, Fong KNK, Chung RCK, Ting KH, Law LLF, Brown T. Can Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Alone or Combined With Cognitive Training Be Used as a Clinical Intervention to Improve Cognitive Functioning in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in human neuroscience. 2018. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00416. PMID: 30386223.

BibTeX

@article{cruzgonzalez2018-30386223,
  author  = {Cruz Gonzalez, P. and Fong, K. N. K. and Chung, R. C. K. and Ting, K. H. and Law, L. L. F. and Brown, T.},
  title   = {{Can Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Alone or Combined With Cognitive Training Be Used as a Clinical Intervention to Improve Cognitive Functioning in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
  journal = {Frontiers in human neuroscience},
  year    = {2018},
  doi     = {10.3389/fnhum.2018.00416},
  pmid    = {30386223},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00416}
}

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