Long-Term Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Improve Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Lijuan Huo; Lijuan Huo; Zhiwei Zheng; Zhiwei Zheng; Jin Li; Jin Li; Wenyu Wan; Wenyu Wan; Xiaoyu Cui; Xiaoyu Cui; Shuyuan Chen; Shuyuan Chen; Wei Wang; Wei Wang; Juan Li; Juan Li

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00298

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Oct 2018)

Long-Term Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Improve Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Lijuan Huo,
Lijuan Huo,
Zhiwei Zheng,
Zhiwei Zheng,
Jin Li,
Jin Li,
Wenyu Wan,
Wenyu Wan,
Xiaoyu Cui,
Xiaoyu Cui,
Shuyuan Chen,
Shuyuan Chen,
Wei Wang,
Wei Wang,
Juan Li,
Juan Li

Affiliations

Lijuan Huo: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Lijuan Huo: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Zhiwei Zheng: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Zhiwei Zheng: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Jin Li: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Jin Li: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Wenyu Wan: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Wenyu Wan: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Xiaoyu Cui: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Xiaoyu Cui: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Shuyuan Chen: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Shuyuan Chen: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Wei Wang: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Wei Wang: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Juan Li: Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Juan Li: Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00298
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10

Abstract

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Background: Executive function tends to decline as people age. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is assumed to have beneficial effects on various cognitive functions. Some prior investigations have shown that repeated sessions of tDCS enhance the executive function performance of healthy elderly people by mediating cognitive training gains. However, studies of the effect of long-term stimulation on executive function without cognitive training are absent.Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore whether the executive function of healthy older adults could be enhanced with long-term tDCS alone applied on the prefrontal cortex.Methods: Sixty-five cognitively normal older adults were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups: an anodal tDCS group and a sham tDCS group. The participants in the two groups received anodal stimulation or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, for 30 min per day for 10 consecutive days. Executive function was tested before stimulation, immediately after stimulation and 3 months after stimulation. Three core components of executive function were tested using a two-back task for updating, a flanker task for inhibition, and a switching task for shifting.Results: Across the three tasks, we failed to discover any differences between the anodal and sham stimulation. Moreover, we found no statistically significant stimulation effect in the follow-up session.Conclusion: Our study does not support the assumption that multiple sessions of tDCS that are independent of cognitive training have a beneficial effect on executive function in healthy older adults, presumably because the effect of the stimulation lies in its amplification of training gains. It indicates that combining traditional cognitive training methods with brain stimulation may be a better approach to improve older adults’ executive function.

Published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

ISSN: 1663-4365 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience

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