Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for pAD (pADmemory)
Alzheimer's Disease - MCI
About this trial
This is an interventional basic science trial for Alzheimer's Disease - MCI focused on measuring Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease, Memory, TMS-EEG, Electroencephalography
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- right-handed
- meet inclusion criteria related to TMS (attached in the protocol)
- to be able to provide information regarding their cognitive and functional skills, or have a caregiver available who is able to provide the patient information necessary for participation in the study and who is present when signing the patient's informed consent.
pAD Patient Inclusion Criteria:
- Clinical Dementia Rating Scale <2;
- Diagnosis of prodromal Alzheimer's disease (amnesic MCI) according to the diagnostic criteria;
- Neurodegeneration biomarker for AD (FDG-PET or CSF), diagnosis confirmed by clinical follow-up;
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test overall score within the normal limits (equivalent score of 1);
- Absence of severe vascular distress; Patients will be selected through clinical evaluation (battery of neuropsychological tests at the Neurocognitive Rehabilitation Center - CeRiN)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who are unable to perform the tasks required by the experimental procedure;
- History and/or evidence of any other central nervous system disorder that could be interpreted as a cause of dementia such as structural or developmental abnormality, infectious epilepsy, degenerative or inflammatory/demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system such as Parkinson's disease;
- History of significant psychiatric disease which, in the investigator's judgment, could interfere with study participation.
- History of alcohol or other substance abuse, according to DSM-V criteria, if this could be a contributing factor to dementia;
- Presence of cardiac pacemakers, electronic prostheses, bio-stimulators, metal inserts, or electrodes implanted in the brain or skull, or spine;
- Inability to read and /or understand the written information;
- Dermatitis, eczema, extensive scars on the scalp
Absolute exclusion criteria (criteria for TMS)
- presence of cardiac pacemakers, artificial heart valves and/or bio- stimulators;
- presence of hearing aids located in the middle ear;
- presence of metal inserts on the head and shoulders;
Sites / Locations
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello (CIMeC); Centro di Riabilitazione Neurocognitiva (CeRiN)
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Sham Comparator
20 Hz rTMS
Sham rTMS
rTMS will be applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (left DLPFC). The coil will be placed at the EEG 10-20 International System position of the F3 electrode. Stimulation parameters will be rTMS delivery of 1600 pulses divided into blocks: 20 Hz for 2 seconds (40 pulses) followed by 28 seconds of pause, with a stimulation intensity equal to 100% of the motor threshold value at rest.
Sham rTMS will be administered by applying a 30mm thick piece of wood or plastic to a real TMS coil during "stimulation", and this additional element will be constructed in such a way that it appears to be an integral part of the apparatus such that the patient remains unaware that they are not receiving stimulation. This 30 mm distance is adequate to ensure that the magnetic pulse does not reach the cortex.