Adjuvant transcranial direct current stimulation for treating Alzheimer's disease: A case study

Andrade, Suellen Marinho; Mendonça, Camila Teresa Ponce Leon de; Pereira, Thobias Cavalcanti Laurindo; Fernandez-Calvo, Bernardino; Araújo, Regina Coely Neves; Alves, Nelson Torro

doi:10.1590/S1980-5764-2016DN1002013

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Case Report • Dement. neuropsychol. 10 (02) • Apr-Jun 2016 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-5764-2016DN1002013 linkcopy

Adjuvant transcranial direct current stimulation for treating Alzheimer's disease: A case study

ESTIMULAÇÃO TRANSCRANIANA POR CORRENTE CONTINUA NO TRATAMENTO ADJUVANTE DA DOENÇA DE ALZHEIMER: ESTUDO DE CASO

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

We report the case of a 73-year-old male patient with Alzheimer's disease who underwent 10-daily transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions. tDCS was applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as an adjuvant to the traditional treatment that the patient was receiving, which consisted of anticholinergic medication and cognitive training. The data were qualitatively analyzed and are presented in an analytic and structured form. The effects on cognitive performance were evaluated using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were assessed with a set of tests consisting of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Blessed Dementia Scale and the Disability Assessment for Dementia. The data obtained revealed that the application of tDCS had a stabilizing effect on overall patient cognitive function and led to improved performance on all the secondary outcome tests. These preliminary results indicate that tDCS is a potential adjuvant therapeutic tool for cognitive rehabilitation in Alzheimer's disease .

Key words:
electrical stimulation; dementia; Alzheimer's disease; cognitive therapy

Neuropsychological tests	T0	T1	Change scores*	%improvement**
ADAS-Cog
Word Recall Test	6	5	-1^#	16.0
Naming objects and Fingers	0	0	0	0
Commands	1	0	-1^#	100
Constructional Praxis	1	1	0	0
Ideational Praxis	2	2	0	0
Orientation	2	1	-1^#	50.0
Word Recognition Task	2	2	0	0
Remembering Test Instructions	1	1	0	0
Spoken Language Ability	1	0	-1^#	100
Word Finding Difficulty	0	0	0	0
Comprehension	0	0	0	0
Total	16	12	-4^#	25.0
NPI-Q	42	14	-28^#	66.6
BDS	7	4,5	-2.5^#	35.7
DAD
DAD-ADL	94.1	100	5.9	6.2
DAD-IADL	83.0	83.0	0	0
Leisure	66.6	100	33.3	50.0
Initiation	90.9	90.9	0	0
Planning and organization	87.5	87.5	0	0
Effective performance	87.5	93.7	6.2	7.1
Total	88.5	91.4	2.9	3.2

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Academia Brasileira de Neurologia, Departamento de Neurologia Cognitiva e Envelhecimento R. Vergueiro, 1353 sl.1404 - Ed. Top Towers Offices, Torre Norte, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, CEP 04101-000, Tel.: +55 11 5084-9463 | +55 11 5083-3876 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistadementia@abneuro.org.br | demneuropsy@uol.com.br

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[TFN1] ADAS-Cog: Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale; NPI-Q: Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; BDS: Blessed Dementia Scale; DAD: Disability Assessment for Dementia. *Change scores [difference between post (T1) and pre-intervention (T0)]. **Percentages improvement from baseline were calculated with the equation: [(T1-T0)/T0] x 100. ^#Negative values on the ADAS-Cog, NPI-Q and BDS categories in Table 1 indicate improvement.