Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on working memory in healthy older adults: a systematic review

Teixeira-Santos, Ana C.; Nafee, Tarek; Sampaio, Adriana; Leite, Jorge; Carvalho, Sandra

doi:10.21801/ppcrj.2015.13.5

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…This positioning of the reference electrode should also allow the current to flow through prefrontal regions on its path from the anodal to the reference electrode, with a prefrontal electric field concentration [16]. Moreover, this tDCS montage has been shown in a number of past studies to improve nonoculomotor cognitive functions (as summarised in Prehn & Flöel [17]; Teixeira-Santos et al [18]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control in Older Adults

Chen

Stenling

Machado

2018

Vision

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Objectives: Ageing is associated with declines in voluntary eye movement control, which negatively impact the performance of daily activities. Therapies treating saccadic eye movement control deficits are currently lacking. To address the need for an effective therapy to treat age-related deficits in saccadic eye movement control, the current study investigated whether saccadic behaviour in older adults can be improved by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using a montage that has been proven to be effective at improving nonoculomotor control functions. Method: The tDCS protocol entailed a 5 cm × 7 cm anodal electrode and an encephalic cathodal reference electrode positioned over the contralateral supraorbital area. In two experiments, healthy older men completed one active (1.5 mA current for 10 min) and one sham stimulation session, with the session order counterbalanced across participants, and eye movement testing following stimulation. In the first experiment, participants rested during the tDCS (offline), whereas in the follow-up experiment, participants engaged in antisaccades during the tDCS (online). Results: Analyses revealed improvements in saccadic performance following active anodal tDCS relative to sham stimulation in the online experiment, but not in the offline experiment, which was presumably due to the activation of the relevant networks during tDCS promoting more targeted effects. Discussion: These outcomes converge with findings pertaining to nonoculomotor cognitive functions, and provide evidence that tDCS can improve saccadic eye movement control in older adults.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control in Older Adults

Chen

Stenling

Machado

2018

Vision

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“…With respect to developing a tDCS protocol that is more likely to induce physiological changes required to improve functioning, especially in older adults, future studies should take into consideration using a contrala-teral encephalic reference electrode (e.g., over the forehead or cheek), which should optimize the electric field in prefrontal regions (Jones, Stephens, Alam, Bikson, & Berryhill, 2015). This arrangement, usually involving a large active electrode over prefrontal cortex combined with a contralateral encephalic reference electrode, has shown promise in a large number of studies that reported improvements in non-oculomotor cognitive functions in older adults (Prehn & Flöel, 2015;Teixeira-Santos, Nafee, Sampaio, Leite, & Carvalho, 2015). This more typical montage may be worthy of assessment in relation to oculomotor functions as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Clinically Practical Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Protocols to Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control

Chen

Machado

2017

JEMR

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Recent research indicates that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the frontal eye field (FEF) can be used to improve saccadic eye movement control in healthy young adults. The current research set out to replicate these findings using a clinically practical protocol, to test whether tDCS applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) might also afford benefits, and to determine whether benefits extend to older adults, who are known to suffer from saccadic eye movement control deficits. Twenty young and 10 older adults completed two active (FEF and DLPFC) and one sham stimulation session. In an effort to aid clinical translation, the method of positioning the electrodes entailed simple measurements only. No improvements in saccadic performance emerged following anodal tDCS applied over the FEF or DLPFC relative to the sham condition in either age group. In addition, saccadic performance contralateral to the active electrodes showed no evidence of benefits over ipsilateral performance. These negative results question whether the protocol utilized can be applied effectively using only simple measurements to localize the relevant frontal subregion. Future efforts can consider adjusting the tDCS montage that might yield more promising results to improve saccadic eye movement control in older adults.

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“…This effect’s biological plausibility is supported by prefrontal connections to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula, and amygdala. Besides, the a-tDCS over the DLPFC can improve several cognitive domains such as perception, attention, working memory, learning, and decision-making (Teixeira-Santos et al, 2015 ). This area’s stimulation modulates a core circuit of working memory on the frontoparietal cortical regions (Fregni et al, 2005 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Age on tDCS Effects on Pain Threshold and Working Memory: Results of a Proof of Concept Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Study

Saldanha

Zortéa

Deliberali

et al. 2020

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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Background: Age is an important factor that impacts the variability of tDCS effects. Objective/Hypothesis: To compare effects of anodal (a)-tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and primary motor cortex (M1) in adolescents, adults, and elderly on heat pain threshold (HPT; primary outcome) and the working memory (WM; secondary outcome). We hypothesized that the effect of tDCS on HPT and WM performance would be the largest in adolescents because their pre-frontal cortex is more prone to neuroplasticity. Methods: We included 30 healthy women within the age ranges of 15-16 (adolescents, n = 10), 30-40 (adults, n = 10), and 60-70 (elderly, n = 10) years. In this crossover single-blinded study, participants received three interventions applied over the DLPF and M1. The active stimulation intensity was two mA for 30 min. From 20 min of stimulation onset, the tDCS session was coupled with an online n-back task. The a-tDCS and sham were applied in a random sequence, with a washout time of a minimum 7 days between each trial. HPT was evaluated before and after stimulation. The WM performance with an n-back task was assessed after the tDCS session. Results: A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model revealed a significant effect of the a-tDCS over the left DLPFC to reduce the HPT in adolescents compared with sham. It increased the pain perception significantly [a large effect size (ES) of 1.09)]. In the adults, a-tDCS over M1 enhanced the HPT significantly (a large ES of 1.25) compared to

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Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on working memory in healthy older adults: a systematic review

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Evidence Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control in Older Adults

Evidence Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control in Older Adults

Developing Clinically Practical Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Protocols to Improve Saccadic Eye Movement Control

Impact of Age on tDCS Effects on Pain Threshold and Working Memory: Results of a Proof of Concept Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Study

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