Effectiveness of Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) over the prefrontal cortex on cognitive function in the elderly with Alzheimer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on cognitive function in the elderly with Alzheimer's. The research method was semi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all elderly patients with Alzheimer's who were referred to Tehran neurology clinics. Among them, 22 patients entered the study by the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group received 14 sessions of TDCS over the prefrontal cortex, whereas those in the control group received no intervention. The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) was used for data collection. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that TDCS over the prefrontal cortex had a significant effect on cognitive function (attention/orientation, memory, language, verbal fluency, and visuospatial ability) in elderly patients with Alzheimer's (p<0.05). According to the present study, TDCS over the prefrontal cortex can be considered as a way to improve cognitive function in the elderly with Alzheimer's​​​​.