Latrèche Caren, Mancini Valentina, McGinn Nova, Rochas Vincent, Férat Victor, Forrer Silas, Schneider Maude, Eliez Stephan
Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Front Neurosci. 2024 Oct 24;18:1453839. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1453839. eCollection 2024.
Neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia are characterized by core impairment in executive functions (EF). Despite the development of various behavioral interventions to enhance EF, the evidence is still scarce. Alternatively, non-invasive brain stimulation tools such as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a potential strategy to alleviate cognitive deficits. Previous studies have demonstrated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of one single tACS session in different clinical populations. However, the effects of tACS appear limited and need to be sustained to be considered an effective cognitive neurorehabilitation tool. Recent studies have used home-based, repeated tACS sessions in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. To our knowledge, the safety and feasibility of such an intensive protocol remains to be tested in a younger population with neurodevelopmental disorders. Using a randomized double-blind sham-controlled design, we administered home-based, repeated tACS sessions to seven individuals aged 14-25 with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), which confers an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of tACS. Findings from this ongoing clinical trial revealed a favorable safety profile, with frequent yet transient and mainly mild adverse effects. The intervention proved to be feasible, shown by very high adherence rates and positive user experiences. Future studies should therefore investigate whether prolonged exposure to tACS can lead to long-lasting cognitive outcomes.
ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05664412.
注意力缺陷和/或多动障碍（ADHD）和精神分裂症等神经发育障碍的特征是执行功能（EF）存在核心损害。尽管已开发出各种行为干预措施来增强EF，但证据仍然稀少。另外，诸如经颅交流电刺激（tACS）等非侵入性脑刺激工具已成为缓解认知缺陷的一种潜在策略。先前的研究已经证明了单次tACS治疗在不同临床人群中的安全性、可行性和有效性。然而，tACS的效果似乎有限，需要持续发挥作用才能被视为一种有效的认知神经康复工具。最近的研究在患有神经退行性疾病的个体中使用了基于家庭的重复tACS治疗。据我们所知，这种强化方案的安全性和可行性仍有待在患有神经发育障碍的年轻人群中进行测试。我们采用随机双盲假对照设计，对7名年龄在14至25岁之间、患有22q11.2缺失综合征（22q11.2DS）的个体进行了基于家庭的重复tACS治疗，该综合征会增加神经发育障碍的风险。我们旨在评估tACS的安全性、耐受性和可行性。这项正在进行的临床试验的结果显示出良好的安全性，不良反应频繁但短暂，且主要为轻度。干预措施被证明是可行的，高依从率和积极的用户体验表明了这一点。因此，未来的研究应该调查长期接受tACS是否能带来持久的认知结果。
ClinicalTrials.gov，标识符NCT05664412。
