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Direct-current stimulation does little to improve the outcome of working-memory training in older adults
Open accessAbstract
The promise of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) as a modulator of cognition has appealed to researchers, media, and the general public. Researchers have suggested that tDCS may increase effects of cognitive training. In this study of 123 older adults, we examined the interactive effects of 20 sessions of anodal tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex (vs. sham tDCS) and simultaneous working memory training (vs. control training) on change in cognitive abilities. Stimulation did not modulate gains from pre- to posttest on latent factors of either trained or untrained tasks in a statistically significant manner. A supporting meta-analysis ( n = 266), including younger as well as older individuals, showed that, when combined with training, tDCS was not much more effective than sham tDCS at changing working memory performance ( g = 0.07, 95% confidence interval, or CI = [−0.21, 0.34]) and global cognition performance ( g = −0.01, 95% CI = [−0.29, 0.26]) assessed in the absence of stimulation. These results question the general usefulness of current tDCS protocols for enhancing the effects of cognitive training on cognitive ability.
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“In contrast, in 123 older adults, Nilsson and colleagues (2017) found no additional benefit of stimulation on working memory training gains [48].”
From Primary outcome from the augmenting cognitive training in older adults study (ACT): A tDCS and cognitive training randomized clinical trial (2023) · cites this paper as [48]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Nilsson, J., Lebedev, A. V., Rydström, A., & Lövdén, M.
- Affiliations
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Lövdén, Martin
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-05-16
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 907-920
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- PMC
- PMC5536199
- OpenAlex
- W2616004589
- Cited by
- 118
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 7
- FWCI
- 7.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Vetenskapsrådet (446-2013-7189)
- European Research Council (617280 - REBOOT)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- transcranial direct current stimulation, working memory training, older adults, anodal tDCS, left prefrontal cortex, cognitive training, cognitive enhancement, global cognition, sham stimulation
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Cognition, Female, Humans, Learning, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Transfer, Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome, Prefrontal Cortex, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
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