Enhancing Neuroplasticity and Frontal Lobe Function in Patients With Mild Alzheimer's Disease
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Sponsor
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Enrollment
- 49
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Paired Associated Stimulation induced Long-term potentiation as a measure of neuroplasticity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 8 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine if a novel brain stimulation approach using magnetic stimulation (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation [TMS]) can improve memory and thinking processes in individuals with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Detailed Description
In this study, the investigators aim at assessing and then enhancing neuroplasticity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and working memory - a key function of DLPFC - in patients with mild AD. The investigators will use a novel non-invasive brain stimulation approach, Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS). PAS simulates in humans the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), a prototype of synaptic neuroplasticity. PAS involves the repetitive pairing of electrical stimulation of the median nerve with - 25 ms later - transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the contralateral DLPFC. As such, these two stimulations arrive simultaneously in the DLPFC and result in potentiation of TMS induced cortical evoked potential, analogous to in vitro LTP. Specific Aim 1: To compare LTP in the DLPFC among patients with mild AD and healthy subjects. Specific Aim 2: To assess the effect of a 2-week course of PAS (rPAS) as applied to the left DLPFC on LTP and performance on working memory in patients with mild AD in comparison with a 2-week course of PAS control condition (PAS-C, described below) (rPAS-C).
Investigators
Tarek Rajji
Staff Psychiatrist and Clinician Researcher
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Paired Associated Stimulation induced Long-term potentiation as a measure of neuroplasticity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Time Frame: 14 days
We are using a novel technique of TMS- EEG as developed by our group. Through this technique, not only motor evoked potential (MEP) but also cortical evoked activity (CEA) is recorded continuously while TMS is being delivered to the cortex. Thus, PAS-induced LTP could be indexed through the potentiation of not only MEP but also of CEA. TMS-EEG has been used by our group and others. Our group has used TMS-EEG in healthy individuals and patients with severe mental illness to study several neurophysiological phenomena in M1 and DLPFC such as cortical inhibition, gamma oscillations, and recently LTP. In summary, we propose to combine PAS with TMS-EEG to assess DLPFC neuroplasticity in patients with mild AD and then deliver a 2-week course of daily repetitive PAS (rPAS) to enhance DLPFC neuroplasticity and function as indexed by the N-back task. This will be measured to see if there are any changes after 1 day, 7 days and 14 days of the intervention procedure.
Secondary Outcomes
- N-back Task(pre-intervention (baseline) and then 1, 7, 14 days after intervention)