Combining transcranial electrical stimulation with training in older adults: Effects on dual-task ability

Enhancing dual-task (DT) performance in older adults through cognitive improvement may help prevent neurodegenerative decline.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of combining repeated transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) with task training on DT ability in healthy older adults.

Fifty-eight participants were randomized to receive ten 20-min sessions of cognitive and motor task training concurrently applied with either anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), 4 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), or sham tES.

All groups demonstrated significant cognitive improvements under both single- and DT conditions immediately and four weeks after the intervention, with no between-group differences. Although motor dual-task costs decreased across all groups, this did not translate into measurable performance gains.

Overall, tES did not provide significant additive effects on DT performance when combined with multi-session training interventions.