Exercise as a Primer for Brain Stimulation in Vascular Cognitive Impairment No Dementia (VCIND)

Launched by SUNNYBROOK HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE · Oct 12, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how exercise and a technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can help improve memory in people who have vascular cognitive impairment and are at risk for further memory problems. The trial is looking for participants who are at least 50 years old, can exercise at a moderate level, and have some mild memory difficulties. To be eligible, potential participants should also be proficient in English and have certain cardiovascular or cerebrovascular risk factors, but they cannot have a history of stroke or significant psychiatric conditions.

Participants in the trial can expect to engage in exercise sessions and receive brain stimulation treatments to see how these methods affect their memory performance. The trial is currently recruiting individuals who fit the criteria mentioned above. This study aims to better understand how these approaches can work together to help improve cognitive health in individuals at risk for memory decline.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • ≥50 years of age; females must be post-menopausal
• • Presence of cerebrovascular and/or cardiovascular risk factors or coronary artery disease
• • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) \<27
• • Sufficiently proficient in English
• • Must be able to exercise at a moderate intensity level
• • Presence of modest deficits (1 standard deviation below population norm) in one of the following domains: executive function, verbal memory, working memory, or visuospatial memory
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of stroke
• • Change in psychotropics within the last 4 weeks
• • Current benzodiazepine use due
• • Metal implants that would preclude safe use of tDCS or neuroimaging
• • Significant neurological or psychiatric conditions (current major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
• • MoCA \<18 and/or clinical diagnosis of dementia
• • Any medical contraindications to exercise