Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Constraint Induced Language Therapy for Alzheimer Disease

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · Jul 17, 2020

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

TMS is a technique by which a brief electrical current is induced in brain tissue causing a brief suppression of the excitability of the underlying tissue; the technique, which was introduced in the 1980s and has been extensively used around the world, has been shown to transiently improve or disrupt specific cognitive operations. To achieve this end, a coil is positioned against the subject's head. The delivery of a single pulse begins with the discharge of current from a capacitor into a circular or figure-of-eight coil; this electrical current generates a brief magnetic field of up to 2....

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • A diagnosis of mild-moderate AD as defined by the National Institute of Aging - Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria
• • Mild-moderate cognitive impairment, indicated by Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) scores between 23 and 15 inclusive
• • Must be right handed as defined by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory
• • Must be a native English speaker
• • Must be able to understand the nature of the study, and give informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of stroke
• • History of seizure
• • History of any other significant neurologic disease (e.g., ALS)
• • Significant depression as defined by the Geriatric Depression Scale.
• • Any significant medical disorder that, in the view of the investigators, could threaten the subject's ability to complete the study (e.g., cancer, significant cardiac disease)
• • Any contraindications to TMS, including uncontrolled seizures, previous brain surgery, and history of tinnitus