Alzheimer Disease
Conditions
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, tACS
Brief summary
Gamma brain activity is crucial for cognitive function and intra-brain communication. Gamma frequency stimulation via transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS) might alleviate memory deficits on both animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and clinical trial. The study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of tACS on cognitive function and modulating neurophysiology in patients with AD.
Detailed description
Gamma brain activity is crucial for cognitive function and intra-brain communication. Gamma frequency stimulation via transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS) might alleviate memory deficits on both animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and clinical trial. The study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of tACS on cognitive function and modulating neurophysiology in patients with AD. 40mins 10Hz-tACS for daily consecutive sessions will be given.
Interventions
DEVICEactive tACS
40 mins tACS for 10 consecutive daily sessions
DEVICEsham tACS
40 mins sham tACS for 10 consecutive daily sessions
Sponsors
Che-Sheng Chu
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* aged 60- to 90-year-old * clinical dementia rating scale (CDR) of 1 or mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score of 18 to 26. * Participants were allowed to maintain their anti-dementia medications without changes from at 3 months before and throughout the study.
Exclusion criteria
* having contraindications for tACS, e.g., implanted brain medical devices or mental in the head, having arrhythmia and with pacemaker implantation, having history of seizures, having history of intracranial neoplasms or surgery, or severe head injuries or cerebrovascular diseases * clinical depression measured by Hamilton depression rating scale score equal and over 17
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, ADAS-Cog | Change from baseline, two weeks, and one months follow-up | The ADAS-Cog consists of items from the following areas chosen for their sensitivity to Alzheimer's disease: language; memory; praxis; and orientation. The test takes 30-35 minutes to administer and the item scores generally range from 1-5. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wechsler adult intelligence scale, WAIS-IV, digit symbol coding | Change from baseline and two weeks | We used WAIS-IV, digit symbol coding subscale, to examine processing speed among subjects; The digit symbol coding is a paper-and-pencil cognitive test presented on a single sheet of paper that requires a subject to match symbols to numbers according to a key located on the top of the page. The subject copies the symbol into spaces below a row of numbers. The number of correct symbols within the allowed time, usually 90 to 120 seconds, constitutes the score |
| Wechsler adult intelligence scale, WAIS-IV, vocabulary | Change from baseline and two weeks | We used WAIS-IV, vocabulary subscale, to examine language function among subjects; The vocabulary subtest requires the client to try to define up to 30 words. This subtest assesses the client's understanding of words and reflects: language development, expressive language skills, cultural and educational experiences, ability to use words appropriately, retrieval of information from long-term memory. |
| Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire: SCD-QMyCog | Change from baseline and two weeks | The SCD-Q is a validated questionnaire that assesses the presence of a subjective cognitive decay in abilities such as memory, attention, language or executive functions. This scale is made up of two parts: MyCog is filled by the subject, TheirCog by the caregiver. Both parts have 24 identical dichotomous questions (yes/no), that evaluate decline for memory performances, language and executive functions in the last 2 years of daily life. The SCD-Q score for MyCog and TheirCog ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores associated with greater perceived cognitive changes (cut to be classified as SCD = 7). |
| Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) | Change from baseline and two weeks | The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was developed to assess dementia-related behavioral symptoms. The NPI examined 12 sub-domains of behavioral functioning: delusions, hallucinations, agitation/aggression, dysphoria, anxiety, euphoria, apathy, disinhibition, irritability/lability, aberrant motor activity, night-time behavioral disturbances and appetite and eating abnormalities |
| Wechsler adult intelligence scale, WAIS-IV, digit span | Change from baseline and two weeks | The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is an IQ test designed to measure intelligence and cognitive ability in adults and older adolescents. It is currently in its fourth edition (WAIS-IV) released in 2008 by Pearson, and is the most widely used IQ test, for both adults and older adolescents, in the world. We used WAIS-IV, digit span subscale, to examine attention among subjects; Digit span was by listening to sequences of numbers orally and to repeat them as heard, in reverse order, and in ascending order. |
| HRV (heart rate variability) | Change from baseline, after one session, and two weeks | Heart rate variability (HRV) is the physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats. It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval. By measuring HRV, it reflects individual's sympathetic and parasympathetic tone. |
| peripheral amyloid beta and tau related markers | Change from baseline and two weeks | Peripheral Amyloid beta and tau protein as risk biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. We check this to see the influence of tACS on AD-related biomarkers |
| EEG (electroencephalogram) | Change from baseline, after one session, and two weeks | An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a recording of brain activity. During this painless test, small sensors are attached to the scalp to pick up the electrical signals produced by the brain. We will check time and/or frequency domain EEG characteristics between those receiving active and sham intervention at different time follow-up points |
| Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE | Change from baseline and two weeks | A Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a set of 11 questions that doctors and other healthcare professionals commonly use to check for cognitive impairment (problems with thinking, communication, understanding and memory). The maximum score for the MMSE is 30. A score of 25 or higher is classed as normal. If the score is below 24, the result is usually considered to be abnormal, indicating possible cognitive impairment. |
Countries
Taiwan
Contacts
Primary ContactChe-Sheng Chu
Outcome results
None listed