Longitudinal Neurostimulation in Older Adults Improves Working Memory

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121904
• Publication Date: 2015-04-07T19:01:41Z
• Authors: Kevin T. Jones; Jaclyn A. Stephens; Mahtab Alam; Marom Bikson; Marian E. Berryhill
• Keywords: Working memory training; Neurostimulation; Cognitive Training; Stroop effect

An increasing concern affecting a growing aging population is working memory (WM) decline. Consequently, there great interest in improving or stabilizing WM, which drives expanded use of brain training exercises. Such regimens generally result temporary WM benefits to the trained tasks but minimal transfer benefit untrained tasks. Pairing with neurostimulation may stabilize improve performance by enhancing plasticity and strengthening WM-related cortical networks. We tested this possibility healthy older adults. Participants received 10 sessions sham (control) active (anodal, 1.5 mA) tDCS right prefrontal, parietal, prefrontal/parietal (alternating) cortices. After ten minutes tDCS, participants performed verbal visual On first, tenth, follow-up sessions, including spatial 2-back, Stroop, digit span The results demonstrated that all groups benefited from training, as expected. However, at 1-month after ended, only maintained significant improvement. Importantly, pattern was observed for both These demonstrate tDCS-linked can provide long-term maintaining cognitive extending them