Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Language Functions in Mild Cognitive Impairment (STIMCI)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment

Treatments: Device: tDCS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01771211

FL379101

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine if non-invasive electrical brain stimulation can improve word-retrieval in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Full description

Previous studies showed that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) can have beneficial effects on word-retrieval in healthy younger and older subjects. The present study aims to extend these findings by assessing whether atDCS can also improve known impairments of word-retrieval in Mild Cognitive Impairment. atDCS will be applied to the left inferior frontal gyrus in a sham controlled cross-over within subjects design. Simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will assess underlying neural effects of the stimulation.

Enrollment: 18 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 45 to 86 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• right handed
• German native speakers
• clinical diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Exclusion criteria

• dementia
• other current or previous neurological or current psychiatric diseases
• alcohol or drug abuse
• MRI contraindication (e.g., magnetic metal, pacemaker, claustrophobia

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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18 participants in 2 patient groups

anodal tDCS

Experimental group

Description:

anodal tDCS will be administered for 20 minutes with 1 milliampere (1 mA) to the left inferior frontal gyrus

Treatment:

Device: tDCS

sham tDCS

Sham Comparator group

Description:

sham tDCS will be administered to the left inferior frontal gyrus

Treatment:

Device: tDCS