Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40619473›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2025

Enhanced cognitive performance in older adults through combined cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation.

Shachar Ben Izhak, Noa Jacoby, Lukas Diedrich, Andrea Antal, Michal Lavidor

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

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04997226 (Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy Elderly People), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

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

NCT04997226 naunknown statusnot on this map

Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy Elderly People

TypeinterventionalSponsorBar-Ilan University, IsraelRan2020 to 2023Enrolled120ConditionsTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation, Transcranial Alternating Current StimulationArmstDCS or tACS over the left DLPFC with adaptive memory game, Sham tDCS or tACS over the left DLPFC with adaptive memory game
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. 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

5 authors.

Shachar Ben IzhakDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel. Shacharbi330@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-015X
Noa JacobyDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Lukas DiedrichDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Andrea AntalDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Michal LavidorDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel.

Funding

Ministry of Lower Saxony for Science and Culture under Grant NCT04997226
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive decline in older adults has significant implications for autonomy and quality of life. This study evaluated the combined effects of cognitive training (CT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive performance in older adults. Two CT approaches-core training and strategy training-were paired with either active or sham anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC. Eighty-five participants were assigned to three groups: (1) CT with active tDCS, (2) CT with sham tDCS, and (3) a control group attending memory-related lectures. Participants underwent 16 intervention sessions and completed cognitive assessments at three points: pre-intervention, immediately after, and three months post-intervention. Results showed that the active tDCS group experienced immediate and sustained improvements across all cognitive tests, while the sham tDCS group showed gains only in specific memory tasks. The control group showed no significant changes. These findings suggest that combining CT with active tDCS is more effective in enhancing and sustaining cognitive performance in older adults compared to CT alone. The study highlights the importance of further research to explore the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of combined CT and tDCS interventions and their potential in mitigating age-related cognitive decline.Trial registration: NCT04997226. 09/08/2021.

Indexed as

CognitionCognitive Behavioral TherapyCognitive DysfunctionTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAgedAged, 80 and overCognitive TrainingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsCognitive trainingMemoryOlder adultstDCS

Identifiers

PMID40619473
PMCPMC12230145

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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.