Hanley Claire J, Alderman Sophie L, Clemence Elinor
Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
Brain Sci. 2020 May 16;10(5):304. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10050304.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to support cognition and brain function in older adults. However, there is an absence of research specifically designed to determine optimal stimulation protocols, and much of what is known about subtle distinctions in tDCS parameters is based on young adult data. As the first systematic exploration targeting older adults, this study aimed to provide insight into the effects of variations in stimulation duration. Anodal stimulation of 10 and 20 min, as well as a sham-control variant, was administered to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Stimulation effects were assessed in relation to a novel attentional control task. Ten minutes of anodal stimulation significantly improved task-switching speed from baseline, contrary to the sham-control and 20 min variants. The findings represent a crucial step forwards for methods development, and the refinement of stimulation to enhance executive function in the ageing population.
经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）已被证明有助于老年人的认知和大脑功能。然而，目前缺乏专门设计用于确定最佳刺激方案的研究，而且关于tDCS参数细微差异的许多已知信息是基于年轻人的数据。作为针对老年人的首次系统性探索，本研究旨在深入了解刺激持续时间变化的影响。对背外侧前额叶皮层进行了10分钟和20分钟的阳极刺激，以及一个假对照变体。根据一项新颖的注意力控制任务评估刺激效果。与假对照和20分钟变体相反，10分钟的阳极刺激显著提高了从基线开始的任务切换速度。这些发现代表了方法开发向前迈出的关键一步，以及为改善老年人群的执行功能而对刺激进行优化。
