A Multifocal tDCS-EEG Protocol for Improving Symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Dementia

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an integrated protocol using multifocal non invasive brain stimulation and brain recording combined with cognitive training is effective in treating cognitive and affective symptomatology in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early stages of dementia. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does multifocal non-invasive brain stimulation reduce cognitive and affective symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early stages of dementia? * Do some specific factors, such as education and cognitive reserve, affect the extent of the possible outcomes achievable from the intervention? * Do electrophysiological measures contribute identifying responders and non-responders to the treatment? Researchers will compare real non-invasive brain stimulation to a placebo stimulation (reproducing the same feeling of stimulation without actually stimulating the brain) combined with cognitive rehabilitation on general cognition measures and depression symptoms. Participants will * Undergo two treatment cycles (real stimulation or placebo over frontal and temporal ares of the left hemisphere) combined with cognitive training twice a week for two months. * Complete neuropsychological evaluations before the first rehabilitation cycle and at the end of each rehabilitation cycle. Caregivers will provide information on functional daily living activities for their relatives.

Interventions

• StarStim 32, Neuroelectrics, Spain - Real multifocal tDCS · DEVICE

  Real multifocal tDCS will be delivered with an intensity of 2.0 mA over 8 electrodes positioned over the frontal and temporal areas in the left hemisphere according to the international 10/10 EEG system. The overall duration of stimulation will be set at 20 minutes.

• StarStim 32, Neuroelectrics, Spain - Sham multifocal tDCS · DEVICE

  Sham multifocal tDCS will be delivered with an intensity of 2.0 mA over 8 electrodes positioned over the frontal and temporal areas in the left hemisphere according to the international 10/10 EEG system. The overall duration of stimulation will be set at 30 seconds.

• Cognitive treatment · BEHAVIORAL

  During the two cycles, all participants will undergo traditional cognitive stimulation therapy, involving paper-and-pencil exercise and computerised activity on several cognitive domains including memory, attention, and executive functions (duration 30-40 minutes) .

Published eligibility criteria

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

Inclusion Criteria:

* age between 55 and 85 years;
* diagnosis of minor neurocognitive disorder, or major neurocognitive disorder with mild severity, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; APA 2013) with a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) of .05 or 1 (Morris, 1993);
* right handedness.

Exclusion Criteria:

* brain events with an acute aetiology (stroke, traumatic brain injury, neoplastic ablation);
* psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar disorder) and assumption of psychotropic drugs;
* diagnosis of moderate or severe major neurocognitive disorders (DSM-5; APA 2013) with CDR scores equal or above 2 (Morris, 1993);
* any condition with may also hypothetically interfere with electrophysiological recording and neurostimulation (metallic implants in the brain, cochlear implant, pacemakers, or suffering from epilepsy) (Antal et al., 2017; Bikson et al., 2016).

Sites (1)

• Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy · Recruiting