tDCS over the left prefrontal Cortex improves mental flexibility and inhibition in geriatric inpatients with symptoms of depression or anxiety: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Mathieu Figeys; Sheryn Villarey; Ada W S Leung; Jim Raso; Steven Buchan; Hubert Kammerer; David Rawani; Megan Kohls-Wiebe; Esther S Kim

doi:10.3389/fresc.2022.997531

tDCS over the left prefrontal Cortex improves mental flexibility and inhibition in geriatric inpatients with symptoms of depression or anxiety: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Front Rehabil Sci. 2022 Oct 25:3:997531. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2022.997531. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Mathieu Figeys^{1

2}, Sheryn Villarey³, Ada W S Leung^{1

4}, Jim Raso², Steven Buchan⁵, Hubert Kammerer², David Rawani^{2

6}, Megan Kohls-Wiebe², Esther S Kim^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
² Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
³ Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁴ Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁷ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Patients with depression and/or anxiety are commonly seen in inpatient geriatric settings. Both disorders are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairments, notably in executive functioning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a type of non-invasive brain stimulation, involves the administration of a low-dose electrical current to induce neuromodulation, which ultimately may act on downstream cognitive processing.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of tDCS on executive functioning in geriatric inpatients with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

Design: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Setting: Specialized geriatric wards in a tertiary rehabilitation hospital.

Methods: Thirty older-aged adults were recruited, of which twenty completed ten-to-fifteen sessions of 1.5 mA anodal or sham tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Cognitive assessments were administered at baseline and following the tDCS protocol; analyses examined the effects of tDCS on cognitive performance between groups (anodal or sham tDCS).

Results: tDCS was found to increase inhibitory processing and cognitive flexibility in the anodal tDCS group, with significant changes on the Stroop test and Trail Making Test-Part B. No significant changes were observed on measures of attention or working memory.

Discussion: These results provide preliminary evidence that tDCS-induced neuromodulation may selectively improve cognitive processing in older adults with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

Clinical trials registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04558177.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; executive functioning; geriatric; mental health; neuromodualtion; rehabilitation; transcranial direct current simulation.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04558177