Healthy Older Adults
Conditions
Keywords
tDCS
Brief summary
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.
Interventions
DEVICEtDCS
Transcranial direct current stimulation
BEHAVIORALtraining
Cognitive training
Sponsors
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age: older in working age (50-65 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).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Performance in a verbal associative learning paradigm under anodal tDCS compared to sham | assessed immediately after training period (several learning blocks) compared to sham | Investigation whether anodal tDCS leads to improved performance accuracy in the Wernicko task compared to sham stimulation. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity predictors | assessed during baseline testing | Connectivity as measured by resting-state fMRI during baseline as predictors for performance and tDCS responsiveness |
| Structural predictors | assessed during baseline testing | Microstructure of white matter (Fractional Anisotropy) as measured by diffusion tensor imaging during baseline as predictors for performance and tDCS responsiveness |
| Genotyping of learning related polymorphisms | : assessed during baseline screening | To assess predictors of positive reaction to brain stimulation, genotyping of several learning related polymorphisms will be performed |
| Other cognitive outcome: Attention | assessed directly before and immediately after tDCS + training compared to | Digit span forward performance assessed before and after stimulation to test for tDCS effects on attention |
| Other cognitive outcome: Working memory | assessed directly before and immediately after tDCS + training compared to | Digit span backwards performance assessed before and after stimulation to test for tDCS effects on working memory |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed