High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Cognitive Function in Patients with Cerebral Small...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD) is a primary cause of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia.
• Effective treatments for CSVD-related cognitive decline are limited.
• High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) shows promise for treating cognitive impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if HD-tDCS can enhance cognitive function in CSVD patients.
• To explore the underlying neural mechanisms of HD-tDCS effects in CSVD.

Main Methods:

• Two-part study involving 104 CSVD patients and 36 healthy controls (HCs) to identify optimal HD-tDCS targets.
• A 2-week HD-tDCS intervention was administered to 20 CSVD patients targeting the prefrontal cortex.
• Cognitive assessments and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) MRI were performed at baseline and follow-up.

Main Results:

• CSVD patients exhibited significant cognitive deficits compared to HCs across multiple tests (MoCA, AVLT, TMT, VFT).
• Altered rs-FC was observed between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in CSVD patients.
• HD-tDCS treatment improved cognitive performance (MoCA, AVLT, SDMT, digit span) and reduced rs-FC between the hippocampus and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions:

• HD-tDCS may improve cognitive function in CSVD patients by normalizing hippocampal-prefrontal circuit connectivity.
• The findings suggest HD-tDCS as a potential therapeutic strategy for CSVD-related cognitive impairment.
• Further research is warranted to optimize HD-tDCS protocols and assess long-term efficacy.