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

Vision ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Po Chen ◽  
Andreas Stenling ◽  
Liana Machado
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movement ◽  
Eye Movement Control ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Age Related

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.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Po Ling Chen ◽  
Liana Machado
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movement ◽  
Eye Movement Control ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Negative Results

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.

scholarly journals Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhance Functionality in Older Adults? A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 2981
Author(s):  
Andrés Pino-Esteban ◽  
Álvaro Megía-García ◽  
David Martín-Caro Álvarez ◽  
Hector Beltran-Alacreu ◽  
Juan Avendaño-Coy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Potential Benefits

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, easy to administer, well-tolerated, and safe technique capable of affecting brain excitability, both at the cortical and cerebellum levels. However, its effectiveness has not been sufficiently assessed in all population segments or clinical applications. This systematic review aimed at compiling and summarizing the currently available scientific evidence about the effect of tDCS on functionality in older adults over 60 years of age. A search of databases was conducted to find randomized clinical trials that applied tDCS versus sham stimulation in the above-mentioned population. No limits were established in terms of date of publication. A total of 237 trials were found, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Finally, nine studies were analyzed, including 260 healthy subjects with average age between 61.0 and 85.8 years. Seven of the nine included studies reported superior improvements in functionality variables following the application of tDCS compared to sham stimulation. Anodal tDCS applied over the motor cortex may be an effective technique for improving balance and posture control in healthy older adults. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to determine the most effective protocols and to clarify potential benefits for older adults.

scholarly journals Age-related differences in the role of the prefrontal cortex in sensory-motor training gains: A tDCS study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Jing Tan ◽  
Hannah L. Filmer ◽  
Paul E. Dux
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Age Related

AbstractThe ability to process multiple sources of information concurrently is particularly impaired as individuals age and such age-related increases in multitasking costs have been linked to impairments in response selection. Previous neuroimaging studies with young adults have implicated the left hemisphere prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a key neural substrate of response selection. In addition, several transcranial direct current stimulation studies (tDCS) have provided causal evidence implicating this region in response selection and multitasking operations. For example, Filmer at al. (2013b) demonstrated that typically observed response selection learning/training gains in young adults were disrupted via offline transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of left, but not right, PFC. Here, considering evidence of functional dedifferentiation in the brains of older adults, we assessed if this pattern of response selection learning disruption via tDCS to the left PFC is observed in older adults, testing if this region remains a key response selection node as individuals age. In a pre-registered study with 58 older adults, we applied anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation to left and right PFC, and measured performance as participants trained on low- and high-response selection load tasks. Active stimulation did not disrupt training in older adults as compared to younger adults. However, there was evidence of enhanced training gains via tDCS, which scaled with response selection task difficulty. The results highlight age-related differences in the casual neural substrates that subserve response selection and learning.

scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Episodic Memory in Healthy Older Adults by Modulating Retrieval-Specific Activation

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lijuan Huo ◽  
Zhiwei Zheng ◽  
Jia Huang ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

Memory decline has become an issue of major importance in the aging society. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) is a viable tool to counteract age-associated episodic memory deterioration. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. In this single-blind, sham-controlled study, we combined atDCS and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the behavioral and neural consequences of multiple-session atDCS in older adults. Forty-nine healthy older adults received either 10 sessions of anodal or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Before and after stimulation, participants performed a source memory task in the MRI scanner. Compared to sham stimulation, atDCS significantly improved item memory performance. Additionally, atDCS significantly increased regional brain activity around the stimulation area in the prefrontal cortex and extended to the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex. Neural changes in the prefrontal cortex correlated with memory gains. Our findings therefore indicate that multiple-session offline atDCS may improve memory in older adults by inducing neural alterations.

Prefrontal Modulation of Visual Processing and Sustained Attention in Aging, a tDCS–EEG Coregistration Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1630-1645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Méadhbh B. Brosnan ◽  
Mahnaz Arvaneh ◽  
Siobhán Harty ◽  
Tara Maguire ◽  
Redmond O'Connell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Right

The ability to sustain attention is integral to healthy cognition in aging. The right PFC (rPFC) is critical for maintaining high levels of attentional focus. Whether plasticity of this region can be harnessed to support sustained attention in older adults is unknown. We used transcranial direct current stimulation to increase cortical excitability of the rPFC, while monitoring behavioral and electrophysiological markers of sustained attention in older adults with suboptimal sustained attention capacity. During rPFC transcranial direct current stimulation, fewer lapses of attention occurred and electroencephalography signals of frontal engagement and early visual attention were enhanced. To further verify these results, we repeated the experiment in an independent cohort of cognitively typical older adults using a different sustained attention paradigm. Again, prefrontal stimulation was associated with fewer attentional lapses. These experiments suggest the rPFC can be manipulated in later years to increase top–down modulation over early sensory processing and improve sustained attention performance. This holds valuable information for the development of neurorehabilitation protocols to ameliorate age-related deficits in this capacity.

scholarly journals Visual Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Patients: A Double-Blinded Randomized Exploratory Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Angelito Braulio F. de Venecia ◽  
Shane M. Fresnoza
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Residual Vision ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a severe complication of diabetes. PDR-related retinal hemorrhages often lead to severe vision loss. The main goals of management are to prevent visual impairment progression and improve residual vision. We explored the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance residual vision. tDCS applied to the primary visual cortex (V1) may improve visual input processing from PDR patients’ retinas. Eleven PDR patients received cathodal tDCS stimulation of V1 (1 mA for 10 min), and another eleven patients received sham stimulation (1 mA for 30 s). Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) scores) and number acuity (reaction times (RTs) and accuracy rates (ARs)) were measured before and immediately after stimulation. The LogMAR scores and the RTs of patients who received cathodal tDCS decreased significantly after stimulation. Cathodal tDCS has no significant effect on ARs. There were no significant changes in the LogMAR scores, RTs, and ARs of PDR patients who received sham stimulation. The results are compatible with our proposal that neuronal noise aggravates impaired visual function in PDR. The therapeutic effect indicates the potential of tDCS as a safe and effective vision rehabilitation tool for PDR patients.

scholarly journals Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with listening to preferred music on memory in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricky Chow ◽  
Alix Noly-Gandon ◽  
Aline Moussard ◽  
Jennifer D. Ryan ◽  
Claude Alain
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

AbstractListening to autobiographically-salient music (i.e., music evoking personal memories from the past), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have each been suggested to temporarily improve older adults’ subsequent performance on memory tasks. Limited research has investigated the effects of combining both tDCS and music listening together on cognition. The present study examined whether anodal tDCS stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (2 mA, 20 min) with concurrent listening to autobiographically-salient music amplified subsequent changes in working memory and recognition memory in older adults than either tDCS or music listening alone. In a randomized sham-controlled crossover study, 14 healthy older adults (64–81 years) participated in three neurostimulation conditions: tDCS with music listening (tDCS + Music), tDCS in silence (tDCS-only), or sham-tDCS with music listening (Sham + Music), each separated by at least a week. Working memory was assessed pre- and post-stimulation using a digit span task, and recognition memory was assessed post-stimulation using an auditory word recognition task (WRT) during which electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Performance on the backwards digit span showed improvement in tDCS + Music, but not in tDCS-only or Sham + Music conditions. Although no differences in behavioural performance were observed in the auditory WRT, changes in neural correlates underlying recognition memory were observed following tDCS + Music compared to Sham + Music. Findings suggest listening to autobiographically-salient music may amplify the effects of tDCS for working memory, and highlight the potential utility of neurostimulation combined with personalized music to improve cognitive performance in the aging population.

Transcranial direct current stimulation: Adverse effects and the efficacy of a commonly utilised sham protocol

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S374-S374 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kortteenniemi ◽  
T. Ali-Sisto ◽  
J. Wikgren ◽  
S. Lehto
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cohen’S D ◽  
Cohen's D

IntroductionTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising neuromodulation method that has, for example, been used to treat depression. Nevertheless, the adverse effects of tDCS and the validity of the current standard tDCS sham protocols have received limited attention.ObjectivesTo evaluate the extent and types of tDCS adverse effects and to assess the reliability of sham stimulation as a control procedure for tDCS in a double-blind setting.AimsTo compare adverse effects between tDCS and sham stimulation groups, and to determine how well the participants and the experimenter are able to distinguish tDCS from sham stimulation.MethodsA sample of healthy volunteers received a 20-minute session of either tDCS (n = 41; 2 mA) or sham stimulation (n = 41; ramp up 15 s, ramp down 15 s; no current in between). The anode was placed over F3 and cathode over F4. Both the participants and the experimenter reported immediate adverse effects and the perceived likelihood for the participant to receive tDCS. Analyses were conducted using the Mann–Whitney U-test.ResultsThe tDCS group reported more erythema compared with the sham group (P = 0.016, Cohen's D = 0.444). No other significant differences in adverse effects were observed. In the tDCS group, both the participants (P = 0.034, Cohen's D = 0.612) and the experimenter (P = 0.006, Cohen's D = 0.674) reported a higher perceived likelihood of the participant receiving tDCS than in the sham group.ConclusionstDCS has only modest adverse effects. Nevertheless, the current standard sham protocol appears insufficient.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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