Home-Based Brain Stimulation for Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome
United States, Israel128 participantsStarted 2025-09-02
Plain-language summary
The objective of this study is to determine the effects of a 6-month, home-based personalized transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on cognitive function, dual task standing and walking, and other metrics of mobility in older adults with motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR).
Who can participate
Age range65 Years – 90 Years
SexALL
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Inclusion Criteria:
* Men and women
* Age 65-90 years
* Subjective cognitive complaints as defined by a 'Yes' response to "Do you feel that you have more problems with memory than most?" or a 'No' response to "is your mind as clear as it used to be?"
* Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥21
* Slow gait speed as measured by averaging two 4-Meter walks and defined as a usual walking speed one standard deviation below age and sex-adjusted means.
* Absence of significant disability as defined by the ability to walk over the instrumented gait mat unassisted (e.g., able to walk without any walking aids for at least 2 minutes non-stop) and preserved activities of daily living as defined by a score of less than 9 on the Functional Activities Questionnaire.
* Identification of an eligible informant
* Identification of a willing and able tDCS-administrator; i.e., a study partner to lead the administration of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
* Access to reliable WiFi in the participant's home
Exclusion Criteria:
* Formal education less than the 8th grade
* Previous physician diagnosis of dementia
* Any current diagnosis of a major psychiatric disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder)
* Evidence of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms defined by a score of ≥9 on the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale
* History of head trauma resulting in prolonged loss of consciousness
* History of fainting spells of unknown or undet…
What they're measuring
1
Dual task cost to gait speed
Timeframe: Pre-randomization baseline; within three days of completing the initial open-label tDCS intervention; Month 3, Month 6; Month 9.