AUTHOR=Kim Jinuk , Yang YoungSoon 

TITLE=Alterations in cognitive function and blood biomarkers following transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with amyloid positron emission tomography-positive Alzheimer’s disease: a preliminary study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1327886

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1327886

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive cognitive decline. To address this, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled study to investigate the therapeutic potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on patients with amyloid positron emission tomography (PET)-positive AD. Participants already undergoing pharmacological treatment and testing positive for amyloid PET were divided into Active-tDCS (n = 8) and Sham-tDCS (n = 8) groups. For 12 weeks, participants or their caregivers administered daily bi-frontal tDCS (YMS-201B+, Ybrain Inc, Seongnam, Korea) at home (2mA, 30 minutes). Pre-and post-intervention assessments included neuropsychological tests and blood sample measurements for oligomerized beta-amyloid. The Active-tDCS group demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive domains such as language abilities, verbal memory, and attention span and in frontal lobe functions compared to the Sham-tDCS group. Furthermore, the Active-tDCS group showed a marked reduction in post-intervention plasma Aβ oligomerization tendency level, suggesting changes in pivotal AD-associated biomarkers. Our results emphasize the potential therapeutic benefits of tDCS for mild AD patients with amyloid PET positivity and stress the urgency 2 This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article for broader research, considering the global challenges of dementia and the need to pursue innovative therapeutic strategies.