Home › Research › Prevention trials
Enhanced cognitive performance in older adults through combined cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation
Shachar Ben Izhak, Noa Jacoby, Lukas Diedrich, Andrea Antal, Michal Lavidor. Scientific Reports, 2025-07-06
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Cognitive decline in older adults has significant implications for autonomy and quality of life. This study evaluated the combined effects of cognitive training (CT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive performance in older adults. Two CT approaches-core training and strategy training-were paired with either active or sham anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC. Eighty-five participants were assigned to three groups: (1) CT with active tDCS, (2) CT with sham tDCS, and (3) a control group attending memory-related lectures. Participants underwent 16 intervention sessions and completed cognitive assessments at three points: pre-intervention, immediately after, and three months post-intervention. Results showed that the active tDCS group experienced immediate and sustained improvements across all cognitive tests, while the sham tDCS group showed gains only in specific memory tasks. The control group showed no significant changes. These findings suggest that combining CT with active tDCS is more effective in enhancing and sustaining cognitive performance in older adults compared to CT alone. The study highlights the importance of further research to explore the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of combined CT and tDCS interventions and their potential in mitigating age-related cognitive decline.Trial registration: NCT04997226. 09/08/2021.
Key findings
- Cognitive decline in older adults has significant implications for autonomy and quality of life.
- Results showed that the active tDCS group experienced immediate and sustained improvements across all cognitive tests, while the sham tDCS group showed gains only in specific memory tasks.
- The control group showed no significant changes.
- These findings suggest that combining CT with active tDCS is more effective in enhancing and sustaining cognitive performance in older adults compared to CT alone.
Why it matters
In this trial of 85 older adults, combining cognitive training with active transcranial direct current stimulation led to immediate and sustained improvements across cognitive tests, while the sham group showed gains only in specific memory tasks and the control group showed no significant changes. It does not show whether this combined approach prevents or treats Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / 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 | 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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 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 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 7 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.1× 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 | 1 / 4 | Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Michal Lavidor: h-index 42 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Bar-Ilan University: institution h-index 553 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40619473) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-08322-6
- PubMed: 40619473
- Original source →
- Free full text: Scientific Reports →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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
Izhak, S. B., Jacoby, N., Diedrich, L., Antal, A., & Lavidor, M. (2025). Enhanced cognitive performance in older adults through combined cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08322-6
Vancouver
Izhak SB, Jacoby N, Diedrich L, Antal A, Lavidor M. Enhanced cognitive performance in older adults through combined cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation. Scientific Reports. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-08322-6. PMID: 40619473.
BibTeX
@article{izhak2025-40619473,
author = {Izhak, Shachar Ben and Jacoby, Noa and Diedrich, Lukas and Antal, Andrea and Lavidor, Michal},
title = {{Enhanced cognitive performance in older adults through combined cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation}},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-08322-6},
pmid = {40619473},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08322-6}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Prevention trials
Also tagged “cognitive-function”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cognitive-function”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.