(HD-tDCS) High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Cognitive Training in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is currently an area of considerable clinical and research
interest because of the high rate of conversion from MCI to Alzheimer disease (AD). Currently,
no drug has proven effective in treatment of MCI. HD-tDCS is a recently developed system that allows researchers to more focally and intensely stimulate the brain. It remains unclear if this approach can be clinically beneficial for patients with MCI, and as a result, there is a need to investigate not only if this tool works, but also how it works. Without this information, the clinical use of HD-tDCS for the treatment of this and other related conditions will remain only a remote possibility.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the device we are studying, High-Definition
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS), to be experimental while researchers study how safe it is and how well it works. We do not know all the ways that HD-tDCS may affect
people.
There is also literature suggesting that cognitive training (CT) can improve cognitive
performance in older adults, who are at risk for dementia and MCI. Reports state that CT may
significantly reduce the risk of dementia. There are encouraging studies which show that CT can slow cognitive decline in individuals with MCI and improve memory in older adults.
Our goal is to assess the feasibility of multi-field extended-HD-tDCS plus simultaneous
computerized CT as a viable intervention to improve cognitive function in patients with MCI. All subjects will undergo 2 MRI scans approximately 6 months apart.