MR Guided tDCS in Alzheimer's Disease

MR Guided tDCS: The Effect of Repeated Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cognitive Functioning in Alzheimer's Disease

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03325205

Enrollment

Registered

2017-10-30

Start date

2017-08-22

Completion date

2020-03-10

Last updated

2021-01-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Alzheimer's Disease

Keywords

Transcranial direct current stimulation, Neuromodulation, Individualizing brain stimulation, Neuropsychology

Brief summary

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of High Density- tDCS (HD- tDCS) on cognitive function in Alzheimer's Disease. One anode and four return electrodes are placed over DLPFC, where low intensity current (2mA) is induced to the surface of the scalp. Electrode placement is individualized for each participant. Participants will undergo 15 stimulations, with a duration of 20 minutes each. All patients will undergo neuropsychological assessment and MRI evaluation.

Detailed description

The project will be run as a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), where patients will be randomized to receive either active anodal tDCS or sham tDCS. The performance on neuropsychological tests will be the primary outcome variables in the present project. In addition, whole brain MRI volume measures will be used to measure specific effects of tDCS treatment. Electrode placement is individualized for each participant with brain modeling techniques.

Interventions

OTHERAnodal tDCS

Anodal Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non- invasive brain stimulation technique. Low intensity current (1-2 mA) is induced to increase excitability, stimulate plasticity and enhance cognitive functions.

OTHERSham tDCS

The electrodes are placed over the same areas as in the anodal tDCS condition. Participants will receive sham tDCS instead of anodal tDCS

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

50 Years to 85 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Alzheimer's Disease, mild and moderate stage

Exclusion criteria

* Other neurological diseases or injuries * Stroke * Cancer * Psychiatric disorders (moderate/ severe depression, psychosis)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Performance on Neuropsychological tests	4 months	Compare scores before and after tDCS stimulation

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Hippocampal volume	4 months	Compare performance on neuropsychological tests to hippocampal volume. Here we are looking at correlations between hippocampal thickness, performance on neuropsychological tests and effect of tDCS.

Countries

Norway

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026