Objectives: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been proposed as a possible treatment for the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer Disease (AD).The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects, on cognitive performance, of rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in AD patients. Methods:Ten AD patients were randomly assigned to one of two study groups. Multiplebaseline design was used .The first group underwent a four-week real rTMS stimulation protocol, while the second underwent a two-week placebo treatment, followed by two weeks of real rTMS stimulation. Each session consisted of the application of rhythmic high-frequency rTMS over the DLPFC for 25 minutes. Sessions occurred once daily, five days/week.The main analyzed outcome was the change in cognitive test performance at two and four weeks after rTMS treatment initiation, with a follow-up performed eight weeks after the end of rTMS, in comparison to baseline performance.Results: A significant difference was found between groups over sessions in terms of the percentage of correct responses of auditory sentence comprehension. Only real treatment induced an improvement in performance with respect to baseline or placebo. Moreover, both groups showed a lasting effect on the improved performance eight weeks after the end of treatment. Conclusion:Our findings provide initial evidence for the persistent beneficial effects of rTMS on sentence comprehension in AD patients. Rhythmic rTMS, in conjunction with other therapeutic interventions, may represent a novel approach to the treatment of language dysfunction in AD patients.3

Objective: Given the limited effectiveness of pharmacological treatments, non-pharmacological interventions to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) have gained attention in recent years. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of anodal tDCS (AtDCS) combined with memory training on face-name associations in an AD patient sample.Methods: Thirty six AD patients were randomly assigned to one of three study groups: Group 1, AtDCS plus individualized computerized memory training; Group 2, placebo tDCS plus individualized computerized memory training; Group 3, AtDCS plus motor training.Results: A general improvement in performance was observed after 2 weeks of memory training. Both the anodal tDCS plus individualized computerized memory training and the placebo tDCS plus individualized computerized memory training groups had significantly improved performances at 2 weeks compared with the AtDCS plus motor training group.Conclusion: Our findings suggest a beneficial effect of individualized memory rehabilitation in AD patients.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is able to generate a long-term increase or decrease in the neuronal excitability that can modulate cognitive tasks, similar to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of tDCS on a language task in young healthy subjects. Anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS were applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) before two picture naming experiments, a preliminary study (i.e., experiment 1) and a main study (i.e., experiment 2). The results show that anodal tDCS of the left DLPFC improves naming performance, speeding up verbal reaction times after the end of the stimulation, whereas cathodal stimulation had no effect. We hypothesize that the cerebral network dedicated to lexical retrieval processing is facilitated by anodal tDCS to the left DLPFC. Although the mechanisms responsible for facilitation are not yet clear, the results presented herein implicate a facilitation lasting beyond the end of the stimulation that imply cortical plasticity mechanisms. The opportunity to non-invasively interact with the functioning of these plasticity mechanisms will surely open new and promising scenarios in language studies in basic and clinical neuroscience fields.

Memory consolidation is a dynamic process. Reactivation of consolidated memories by a reminder triggers reconsolidation, a time-limited period during which existing memories can be modified (i.e., weakened or strengthened). Episodic memory refers to our ability to recall specific past events about what happened, including where and when. Difficulties in this form of long-term memory commonly occur in healthy aging. Because episodic memory is critical for daily life functioning, the development of effective interventions to reduce memory loss in elderly individuals is of great importance. Previous studies in young adults showed that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays a causal role in strengthening of verbal episodic memories through reconsolidation. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which facilitatory transcranial direct current stimulation (anodal tDCS) over the left DLPFC would strengthen existing episodic memories through reconsolidation in elderly individuals. On Day 1, older adults learned a list of 20 words. On Day 2 (24 h later), they received a reminder or not, and after 10 min tDCS was applied over the left DLPFC. Memory recall was tested on Day 3 (48 h later) and Day 30 (1 month later). Surprisingly, anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC (i.e., with or without the reminder) strengthened existing verbal episodic memories and reduced forgetting compared to sham stimulation. These results provide a framework for testing the hypothesis that facilitatory tDCS of left DLPFC might strengthen existing episodic memories and reduce memory loss in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.