Cargando…
The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging
Background and Objective: Aging is associated with a decline in attentional and executive abilities, which are linked to physiological, structural, and functional brain changes. A variety of novel non-invasive brain stimulation methods have been probed in terms of their neuroenhancement efficacy in...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985554/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33767658 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.625359 |
_version_ | 1783668272559816704 |
---|---|
author | Brambilla, Michela Dinkelbach, Lars Bigler, Annelien Williams, Joseph Zokaei, Nahid Cohen Kadosh, Roi Brem, Anna-Katharine |
author_facet | Brambilla, Michela Dinkelbach, Lars Bigler, Annelien Williams, Joseph Zokaei, Nahid Cohen Kadosh, Roi Brem, Anna-Katharine |
author_sort | Brambilla, Michela |
collection | PubMed |
description | Background and Objective: Aging is associated with a decline in attentional and executive abilities, which are linked to physiological, structural, and functional brain changes. A variety of novel non-invasive brain stimulation methods have been probed in terms of their neuroenhancement efficacy in the last decade; one that holds significant promise is transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) that delivers an alternate current at random amplitude and frequency. The aim of this study was to investigate whether repeated sessions of tRNS applied as an add-on to cognitive training (CT) may induce long-term near and far transfer cognitive improvements. Methods: In this sham-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study forty-two older adults (age range 60–86 years) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups that received 20 min of 0.705 mA tRNS (N = 14), 1 mA tRNS (N = 14), or sham tRNS (N = 19) combined with 30 min of CT of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory). tRNS was applied bilaterally over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices for five sessions. The primary outcome (non-verbal logical reasoning) and other cognitive functions (attention, memory, executive functions) were assessed before and after the intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. Results: Non-verbal logical reasoning, inhibitory control and reaction time improved significantly over time, but stimulation did not differentially affect this improvement. These changes occurred during CT, while no further improvement was observed during follow-up. Performance change in logical reasoning was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving 1 mA tRNS, indicating that older participants profited more from tRNS than younger participants. Performance change in non-verbal working memory was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving sham tRNS, indicating that in contrast to active tRNS, older participants in the sham group declined more than younger participants. Interpretation: CT induced cognitive improvements in all treatment groups, but tRNS did not modulate most of these cognitive improvements. However, the effect of tRNS depended on age in some cognitive functions. We discuss possible explanations leading to this result that can help to improve the design of future neuroenhancement studies in older populations. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-7985554 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-79855542021-03-24 The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging Brambilla, Michela Dinkelbach, Lars Bigler, Annelien Williams, Joseph Zokaei, Nahid Cohen Kadosh, Roi Brem, Anna-Katharine Front Neurol Neurology Background and Objective: Aging is associated with a decline in attentional and executive abilities, which are linked to physiological, structural, and functional brain changes. A variety of novel non-invasive brain stimulation methods have been probed in terms of their neuroenhancement efficacy in the last decade; one that holds significant promise is transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) that delivers an alternate current at random amplitude and frequency. The aim of this study was to investigate whether repeated sessions of tRNS applied as an add-on to cognitive training (CT) may induce long-term near and far transfer cognitive improvements. Methods: In this sham-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study forty-two older adults (age range 60–86 years) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups that received 20 min of 0.705 mA tRNS (N = 14), 1 mA tRNS (N = 14), or sham tRNS (N = 19) combined with 30 min of CT of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory). tRNS was applied bilaterally over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices for five sessions. The primary outcome (non-verbal logical reasoning) and other cognitive functions (attention, memory, executive functions) were assessed before and after the intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. Results: Non-verbal logical reasoning, inhibitory control and reaction time improved significantly over time, but stimulation did not differentially affect this improvement. These changes occurred during CT, while no further improvement was observed during follow-up. Performance change in logical reasoning was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving 1 mA tRNS, indicating that older participants profited more from tRNS than younger participants. Performance change in non-verbal working memory was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving sham tRNS, indicating that in contrast to active tRNS, older participants in the sham group declined more than younger participants. Interpretation: CT induced cognitive improvements in all treatment groups, but tRNS did not modulate most of these cognitive improvements. However, the effect of tRNS depended on age in some cognitive functions. We discuss possible explanations leading to this result that can help to improve the design of future neuroenhancement studies in older populations. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-03-09 /pmc/articles/PMC7985554/ /pubmed/33767658 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.625359 Text en Copyright © 2021 Brambilla, Dinkelbach, Bigler, Williams, Zokaei, Cohen Kadosh and Brem. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Neurology Brambilla, Michela Dinkelbach, Lars Bigler, Annelien Williams, Joseph Zokaei, Nahid Cohen Kadosh, Roi Brem, Anna-Katharine The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title | The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title_full | The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title_fullStr | The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title_short | The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging |
title_sort | effect of transcranial random noise stimulation on cognitive training outcome in healthy aging |
topic | Neurology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7985554/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33767658 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.625359 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT brambillamichela theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT dinkelbachlars theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT biglerannelien theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT williamsjoseph theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT zokaeinahid theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT cohenkadoshroi theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT bremannakatharine theeffectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT brambillamichela effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT dinkelbachlars effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT biglerannelien effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT williamsjoseph effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT zokaeinahid effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT cohenkadoshroi effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging AT bremannakatharine effectoftranscranialrandomnoisestimulationoncognitivetrainingoutcomeinhealthyaging |