Healthy Older Adults
Conditions
Keywords
healthy older adults, tDCS, LOCATO task, visual-spatial learning
Brief summary
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 of learning and memory in healthy older adults and to examine the underlying neuronal mechanism.
Interventions
DEVICEtDCS
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
BEHAVIORALtraining
intensive training of visual-spatial abilities (in LOCATO task)
Sponsors
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Caregiver)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
(old healthy controls): * right handedness * unobtrusive neuropsychological screening * 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)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Performance in LOCATO task (Visual-Spatial learning and memory) after a combination of intensive visual-spatial training and tDCS | immediately after the end of a 3 day training period in tDCS condition compared to sham condition | Investigation whether the combination of intensive visual-spatial training (LOCATO task) and tDCS leads to an improvement of visual-spatial learning and memory measured by performance in LOCATO task after end of a 3 day training period compared to sham stimulation. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| functional changes: Connectivity | after end of 3-day period of training vs baseline | Connectivity (measured by resting-state fMRT and correlation analysis) at baseline compared to end of 3 day period of training |
| cortical excitability | at baseline | measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at baseline |
| Quality of life | after 1 month vs baseline | quality of life as measured by standardized questionaire at baseline compared to quality of life measured 1 month after intervention (training and stimulation vs. training and sham-stimualtion) |
| long term effects | after 1 month vs baseline | long term effects measured by performance in LOCATO task after end of training and after 1 month compared to control condition |
| affective state | immediately after the end of 3-day cognitive training, after 1 month vs. baseline | affective state measured at baseline compared to affective state measured after the end of a 3-day cognitve training period and after 1 month (posttraining) in training and stimulation vs. training and sham stimulation |
| genotyping of learning related polymorphisms | once | To assess predictors of positive reaction to brain stimulation, genotyping of several learning related polymorphisms will be performed (i.e., APOE, BDNF Val66Met, COMT Val158Met). |
| memory | immediately after end of 3-day of cognitive training, after 1 month vs. baseline | memory performance tested at baseline compared to memory performance after the end of a 3-day cognitive training period and after 1 month (posttraining) in training and stimulation vs. training and sham stimulation |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed