Testing the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in semantic dementia: a double blind, sham controlled, randomized clinical trial
Testing the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in semantic dementia: a double blind, sham controlled, randomized clinical trial
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Abstract Background Semantic dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the left anterior temporal lobe, chocolate chip cookie purse resulting in a gradual loss of conceptual knowledge.There is currently no validated treatment.Transcranial stimulation has provided evidence for long-lasting language effects presumably linked to stimulation-induced neuroplasticity in post-stroke aphasia.However, studies evaluating its effects in neurodegenerative diseases such as semantic dementia are still rare and evidence from double-blind, prospective, therapeutic trials is required.
Objective The primary objective of the present clinical trial (STIM-SD) is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a multiday transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regime on language impairment in patients with semantic dementia.The study also explores the time course of potential tDCS-driven improvements and uses imaging biomarkers that could reflect stimulation-induced neuroplasticity.Methods This is a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized study using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) applied daily for 10 days, and language/semantic and imaging assessments at four time points: baseline, 3 days, 2 weeks and 4 months after 10 stimulation sessions.Language/semantic assessments will be carried out at these same 4 time points.
Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), T1-weighted images and white matter diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be applied at baseline and at the 2-week time point.According to the principle of inter-hemispheric inhibition between left (language-related) and right homotopic regions we read more will use two stimulation modalities - left-anodal and right-cathodal tDCS over the anterior temporal lobes.Accordingly, the patient population (n = 60) will be subdivided into three subgroups: left-anodal tDCS (n = 20), right-cathodal tDCS (n = 20) and sham tDCS (n = 20).The stimulation will be sustained for 20 min at an intensity of 1.
59 mA.It will be delivered through 25cm2-round stimulation electrodes (current density of 0.06 mA/cm2) placed over the left and right anterior temporal lobes for anodal and cathodal stimulation, respectively.A group of healthy participants (n = 20) matched by age, gender and education will also be recruited and tested to provide normative values for the language/semantic tasks and imaging measures.
Discussion The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of tDCS for language/semantic disorders in semantic dementia.A potential treatment would be easily applicable, inexpensive, and renewable when therapeutic effects disappear due to disease progression.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03481933.
Registered on March 2018.