Modulation of Visual-Spatial Learning in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by tDCS

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Treatments: Behavioral: training; Device: tDCS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02110043

LOCATO-MCI-tDCS

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) leads to an improvement in learning and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to examine the underlying neuronal mechanism.

Enrollment: 21 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria (MCI patients):

• right handedness

• amnestic and amnestic plus MCI with:

  1. subjective memory impairment;
  2. objective memory difficulties, at least 1 SD below gender, age and education adjusted standard values;
  3. relatively normal performance in other cognitive domains;
  4. no constraints in activities of daily livings
  5. age: 50-90 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• severe internal or psychiatric disease
• epilepsy
• other severe neurological diseases, e.g. previous major stroke or brain tumor
• DMS-IV manifest dementia
• contraindication for MRT (claustrophobia, metallic implants, tattoos)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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21 participants in 2 patient groups

training + tDCS

Experimental group

Description:

Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Treatment:

Behavioral: training

Device: tDCS

training + sham stimulation

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Combination of intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (LOCATO task) with sham stimulation

Treatment:

Behavioral: training

Device: tDCS