Effects of Brain Stimulation During a Daytime Nap on Memory Consolidation in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment, So Stated

Treatments: Device: SHAM stimulation; Device: 0,75 Hz stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01782365

Nap-tSOS-MCI

Details and patient eligibility

About

The beneficial effect of nocturnal as well as daytime sleep on memory consolidation is well-documented in young, healthy subjects. Slow wave sleep (SWS), in particular, with its slow oscillating activity have shown to enhance declarative, hippocampus-dependent memory representations. This impact of sleep on memory performance can be additionally enhanced by exogeneous induction of transcranial slow oscillating stimulation (tSOS) within the frequency range of SWS in humans (0,7- 0,8 Hz) during sleep, as has been demonstrated in young, healthy subjects. If patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI)- usually characterized by initial difficulties in hippocampus dependent memory functions - benefit from transcranial slow oscillatory stimulation (tSOS) during sleep as well has not been studied so far. The primary goal of the study is therefore to investigate the impact of oscillating current stimulation (tSOS) during a daytime nap on declarative memory consolidation in MCI patients.

Enrollment: 16 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• amnestic and amnestic plus MCI-patients:

  1. Concern reflecting a change in cognition reported by patient or informant or clinician (i.e., historical or observed evidence of decline over time)
  2. Objective evidence of memory impairment; additional cognitive domains may be affected as well;
  3. Preservation of independence in functional abilities
  4. no dementia

• age: 50-90 years

Exclusion criteria

• untreated severe internal or psychiatric diseases
• epilepsy
• other severe neurological diseases eg., previous major stroke, brain tumour
• dementia
• contraindications to MRI

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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16 participants in 2 patient groups

0,75 Hz stimulation

Experimental group

Description:

transcranial slow oscilliating stimulation (tSOS)during periods of SWS

Treatment:

Device: 0,75 Hz stimulation

SHAM stimulation

Sham Comparator group

Description:

SHAM stimulation during periods of SWS

Treatment:

Device: SHAM stimulation