Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are prevalent among persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). However, there are limited safe and effective nonpharmacological treatments for controlling NPS. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising noninvasive and safe treatment. This study investigated the effects of remotely supervised tDCS in managing NPS in older adults with mild to moderate ADRD. Forty older adults diagnosed with early-stage ADRD were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive home-based active tDCS (n = 20) or sham tDCS (n = 20). Results showed a significantly greater improvement in the following NPS: scratching (P = 0.052, Hedges' g = -0.60 [confidence interval {CI}: -1.24, 0.04], Cliff's δ = -0.41 [CI: -0.67, -0.06]), nighttime behaviors (P = 0.041; Hedges' g = -0.62 [CI: -1.26, 0.03]; Cliff's δ = -0.41 [CI: -0.67, -0.06], and appetite/eating changes (P = 0.010; Hedges' g = -0.78 [CI: -1.43, -0.13]; Cliff's δ = -0.41 [CI: - 0.56, -0.10]). This study shows promising initial results for using home-based, remotely supervised tDCS to manage NPS, such as nighttime behaviors, changes in eating and appetite, and scratching. Larger studies with more participants are needed to explore various tDCS doses and their long-term effects on NPS.
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Park et al. (2024) studied this question.
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