Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27005937›Full record

Trial reportAlzheimer's research & therapy2016

Transcranial direct current stimulation as a memory enhancer in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Martin Bystad, Ole Grønli, Ingrid Daae Rasmussen, Nina Gundersen, Lene Nordvang, Henrik Wang-Iversen, Per M Aslaksen

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02518412 (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 66 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
66citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02518412 naunknown statusnot on this map

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as a Cognitive Enhancer for Patients With Alzheimers Disease

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of TromsoRan2013 to 2016Enrolled30ConditionsAlzheimer DiseaseArmstDCS, Placebo tDCS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

66 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Transcranial direct current stimulation for global cognition in Alzheimer's disease: a systemic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. The role of noninvasive brain stimulation for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2020
    Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Pooled it
  12. Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review

6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Martin BystadDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. martin.k.bystad@uit.no.
Ole GrønliDepartment of Geropsychiatry, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Ingrid Daae RasmussenDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
Nina GundersenDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
Lene NordvangDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
Henrik Wang-IversenDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
Per M AslaksenDepartment of Psychology, Research Group for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on verbal memory function in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

methodsWe conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which tDCS was applied in six 30-minute sessions for 10 days. tDCS was delivered to the left temporal cortex with 2-mA intensity. A total of 25 patients with Alzheimer's disease were enrolled in the study. All of the patients were diagnosed according to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. Twelve patients received active stimulation, and thirteen patients received placebo stimulation. The primary outcome measure was the change in two parallel versions of the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition, a standardized neuropsychological memory test normalized by age and gender. The secondary outcome measures were the Mini Mental State Examination, clock-drawing test, and Trail Making Test A and B.

resultsChanges in the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition scores were not significantly different between the active and placebo stimulation groups for immediate recall (p = 0.270), delayed recall (p = 0.052), or recognition (p = 0.089). There were nonsignificant differences in score changes on the Mini Mental State Examination (p = 0.799), clock-drawing test (p = 0.378), and Trail Making Test A (p = 0.288) and B (p = 0.093). Adverse effects were not observed.

conclusionsCompared with placebo stimulation, active tDCS stimulation in this clinical trial did not significantly improve verbal memory function in Alzheimer's disease. This study differs from previous studies in terms of the stimulation protocol, trial design, and application of standardized neuropsychological memory assessment.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02518412 . Registered on 10 August 2015.

Indexed as

Transcranial Direct Current StimulationAgedAged, 80 and overAlzheimer DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMemoryMemory, Short-TermMental Status ScheduleNeuropsychological TestsRecognition, PsychologyTemporal LobeAlzheimer’s diseaseMemoryNeuromodulationNeuropsychologyRandomized controlled trialTranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID27005937
PMCPMC4804486

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.