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Updated: Jan 5, 2026
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simultaneous Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: April 27, 2014
Multi-Session Anodal Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation does not Improve Executive Functions among
Junhong Yu1,2, Charlene L M Lam1,2, Idy S C Man1,2
1The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Objective:
Findings from single-session online studies highlighted the potential of using anodal prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance executive functions (EF) in the context of aging. However, tDCS must be executed as a multi-session offline intervention to ascertain its viability in this context. Relatedly, findings from multi-session studies remained inconclusive. To this end, we examined the effects of multi-session anodal prefrontal tDCS on EF in an intervention.
Method:
The intervention consisted of 15 sessions; in each, healthy older participants (Agemean = 66.7) received either 15 min of 1.5 mA tDCS (Ncompleted = 35) or sham stimulation (Ncompleted = 33) while performing EF training tasks. EF measures were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up. Hierarchical linear models were used to examine the effect of tDCS on EF outcomes.
Results:
Both groups of participants did not differ significantly in side effect ratings and attendance. There were no significant tDCS-associated gains in any EF outcomes in the intervention.
Conclusions:
Multi-session prefrontal tDCS did not lead to any significant gains in EF in the current intervention. More research is needed to optimize the use of tDCS before it can be effectively used to enhance EF among older adults.
