The Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Prefrontal Cortex on Attention, Working Memory, Decision-Making, Social Cognition and Quality of Life in Older Adults

Cognitive function and quality of life (QOL) are crucial indicators in health assessment, and their enhancement reflects the maintenance and improvement of both physical and mental health in older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the prefrontal cortex on attention, working memory, decision-making, social cognition, and QOL in older adults. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of older adults aged over 60 residing in Tabriz, Iran in 2023, among whom, 40 individuals meeting the inclusion criteria were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 1mA tDCS over the prefrontal cortex for 20 sessions every other day, while the control group received no intervention during the same period. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) was utilized to assess cognitive function, and the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form (QOL-SF 36) was administered to evaluate QOL at pretest and posttest phases. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted using SPSS-24 software for statistical analysis. The results revealed a significant difference between the means of attention, working memory, decision-making, social cognition, and QOL in the experimental and control groups at the post-test phase (P<.05). Thus, electrical stimulation of the prefrontal cortex led to improvements in attention, working memory, decision-making, social cognition, and QOL, thereby enhancing cognitive performance and improving QOL in the experimental group compared to the control group. The findings suggest that tDCS over the prefrontal cortex enhances cognitive function in older adults, indicating its potential as an effective and beneficial method to improve cognitive performance and QOL in this population.