Exercise as a Primer for Brain Stimulation in Vascular Cognitive Impairment No Dementia (VCIND)

Summary

People with vascular conditions are at risk of having memory problems, and these memory problems increase the risk for further cognitive decline. Brain stimulation has been used to improve mood and memory. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is believed to work best on brain cells that are active or "primed" before stimulation. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of exercise and tDCS on memory performance in patients who have completed cardiac rehabilitation and are at risk of cognitive decline.

Interventions

• tDCS · OTHER

  All participants randomized to tDCS will receive active tDCS

• Exercise · OTHER

  Participants will exercise at Toronto Rehab.

• Sham stimulation · OTHER

  The same procedure for tDCS will be used for the sham condition, except without active current.

• Treatment as usual · OTHER

  Exercise education/ treatment as usual will include routine advice about physical activity.

Published eligibility criteria

Verbatim from the registry. Only the site can decide how these apply to a specific patient.

Inclusion Criteria:

* ≥50 years of age; females must be post-menopausal
* Presence of cerebrovascular and/or cardiovascular risk factors or coronary artery disease
* Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) \<27
* Sufficiently proficient in English
* Must be able to exercise at a moderate intensity level
* Presence of modest deficits (1 standard deviation below population norm) in one of the following domains: executive function, verbal memory, working memory, or visuospatial memory

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of stroke
* Change in psychotropics within the last 4 weeks
* Current benzodiazepine use due
* Metal implants that would preclude safe use of tDCS or neuroimaging
* Significant neurological or psychiatric conditions (current major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
* MoCA \<18 and/or clinical diagnosis of dementia
* Any medical contraindications to exercise

Sites (1)

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario · Recruiting