tDCS Effects on Associative Learning in Older Adults of Retirement Age (TRAINSTIM2)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy Older Adults

Treatments: Device: tDCS; Behavioral: training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02839993

TRAINSTIM2.A

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a tDCS-accompanied training of audio-visual associative memory leads to a performance improvement in healthy older individuals.

Enrollment: 10 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 66+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age: old-retired (≥66 years).
• Right handedness
• unobtrusive neuropsychological screening

Exclusion criteria

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or other neurological diseases.
• History of severe alcoholism or use of drugs.
• Severe psychiatric disorders such as depression, psychosis (if not in remission) and severe untreated medical problems.
• Contraindication for MRI (claustrophobia, metallic implants, ferromagnetic metals in the body, disorders of thermoregulation, pregnant women)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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10 participants in 2 patient groups

Anodal tDCS + training

Experimental group

Description:

Combination of intensive training of picture-word associations (Wernicko task) with anodal stimulation

Treatment:

Behavioral: training

Device: tDCS

Sham tDCS + training

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Combination of intensive training of picture-word associations (Wernicko task) with sham stimulation

Treatment:

Behavioral: training

Device: tDCS