Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33106629›Full record

Trial reportNature human behaviour2021

Evidence against benefits from cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation in healthy older adults.

Kristina S Horne, Hannah L Filmer, Zoie E Nott, Ziarih Hawi, Kealan Pugsley, Jason B Mattingley, Paul E Dux

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nature human behaviour, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 3 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Neurochemical Predictors of Generalized Learning Induced by Brain Stimulation and Training.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2024
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
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.

Kristina S HorneSchool of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. k.horne@uq.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-6315
Hannah L FilmerSchool of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9005-8975
Zoie E NottSchool of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Ziarih HawiSchool of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Kealan PugsleySchool of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7507-9532
Jason B MattingleySchool of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0929-9216
Paul E DuxSchool of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4270-2583

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive training and brain stimulation show promise for ameliorating age-related neurocognitive decline. However, evidence for this is controversial. In a Registered Report, we investigated the effects of these interventions, where 133 older adults were allocated to four groups (left prefrontal cortex anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with decision-making training, and three control groups) and trained over 5 days. They completed a task/questionnaire battery pre- and post-training, and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. COMT and BDNF Val/Met polymorphisms were also assessed. Contrary to work in younger adults, there was evidence against tDCS-induced training enhancement on the decision-making task. Moreover, there was evidence against transfer of training gains to untrained tasks or everyday function measures at any post-intervention time points. As indicated by exploratory work, individual differences may have influenced outcomes. But, overall, the current decision-making training and tDCS protocol appears unlikely to lead to benefits for older adults.

Indexed as

LearningTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAgedCognitive DysfunctionDecision MakingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID33106629

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.