Abstract: BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment in older adults is a critical public health concern. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) presents a potential alternative for cognitive enhancement. The aim of the study is to evaluate tDCS’s impact on cognition and quality of life (QoL) in older adults with mild neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study will be a hospital-based, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Fifty-three adults aged over 55, who provide informed consent and meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria for mild NCD will be included in the study. Participants will be assigned through a single blinding and will receive 10 sessions of either active tDCS or sham tDCS, respectively. The Hindi adaptation of Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-H) and World Health Organization QoL scale (WHOQOL-BREF) assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the 2 nd and 3 rd weeks. RESULTS: The outcome of the study will be the change in total ACE H scores, the change in individual cognitive domain ACE-H scores, WHOQOL BREF scores, and reported side effects. The primary outcome, total ACE-H score, and secondary outcomes (cognitive domains and WHO-QOL BREF scores) will be analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA to assess main and interaction effects of group (active tDCS/sham) and time (baseline, week 2, week 3). Where significant group × time interactions are found, post hoc pairwise comparisons will be conducted between the groups at each time point, using appropriate corrections for multiple comparisons. In case the data are not distributed normally, suitable nonparametric methods will be applied. CONCLUSION: This study is designed to evaluate the potential of tDCS to enhance cognitive functioning and QoL in individuals with mild NCD.
Sinha et al. (2026) studied this question.