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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Cognitive Training on Functional Connectivity of the Working Memory Network in Older Adults
Nissim NR, O'Shea A, Indahlastari A, Kraft JN, von Mering O, Aksu S, Porges E, Cohen R et al.. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2019-12-16
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Working memory, a fundamental short-term cognitive process, is known to decline with advanced age even in healthy older adults. Normal age-related declines in working memory can cause loss of independence and decreased quality of life. Cognitive training has shown some potential at enhancing certain cognitive processes, although, enhancements are variable. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, has shown promise at enhancing working memory abilities, and may further the benefits from cognitive training interventions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying tDCS brain-based enhancements remain unknown. Objective/hypothesis Assess the effects of a 2-week intervention of active-tDCS vs. sham paired with cognitive training on functional connectivity of the working memory network during an N-Back working memory task. Methods Healthy older adults ( N = 28; mean age = 74 ± 7.3) completed 10-sessions of cognitive training paired with active or sham-tDCS. Functional connectivity was evaluated at baseline and post-intervention during an N-Back task (2-Back vs. 0-Back). Results Active-tDCS vs. sham demonstrated a significant increase in connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior parietal lobule at post-intervention during 2-Back. Target accuracy on 2-Back was significantly improved for active vs. sham at post-intervention. Conclusion These results suggest pairing tDCS with cognitive training enhances functional connectivity and working memory performance in older adults, and thus may hold promise as a method for remediating age-related cognitive decline. Future studies evaluating optimal dose and long-term effects of tDCS on brain function will help to maximize potential clinical impacts of tDCS paired with cognitive training in older adults. Clinical trial registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02137122.
Key findings
- Results Active-tDCS vs. sham demonstrated a significant increase in connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior parietal lobule at post-intervention during 2-Back.
- Target accuracy on 2-Back was significantly improved for active vs. sham at post-intervention.
- Conclusion These results suggest pairing tDCS with cognitive training enhances functional connectivity and working memory performance in older adults, and thus may hold promise as a method for remediating age-related cognitive decline.
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Study details
- Participants28
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded 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 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 48 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in aging neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 28 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 31998111) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 28 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 28 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 48 out of 100. |
| Total | 48 / 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. 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.
APA 7th
Nissim, N. R., O'Shea, A., Indahlastari, A., Kraft, J. N., von Mering, O., Aksu, S., et al. (2019). Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Cognitive Training on Functional Connectivity of the Working Memory Network in Older Adults. Frontiers in aging neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00340
Vancouver
Nissim NR, O'Shea A, Indahlastari A, Kraft JN, von Mering O, Aksu S, et al. Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Cognitive Training on Functional Connectivity of the Working Memory Network in Older Adults. Frontiers in aging neuroscience. 2019. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00340. PMID: 31998111.
BibTeX
@article{nissim2019-31998111,
author = {Nissim, N. R. and O'Shea, A. and Indahlastari, A. and Kraft, J. N. and von Mering, O. and Aksu, S. and Porges, E. and Cohen, R. and others},
title = {{Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Cognitive Training on Functional Connectivity of the Working Memory Network in Older Adults}},
journal = {Frontiers in aging neuroscience},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.3389/fnagi.2019.00340},
pmid = {31998111},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00340}
}
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