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High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation enhances network segregation during spatial navigation in mild cognitive impairment.

Authors :
Iordan AD
Ryan S
Tyszkowski T
Peltier SJ
Rahman-Filipiak A
Hampstead BM
Source :
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) [Cereb Cortex] 2022 Nov 09; Vol. 32 (22), pp. 5230-5241.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Spatial navigation is essential for everyday life and relies on complex network-level interactions. Recent evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can influence the activity of large-scale functional brain networks. We characterized brain-wide changes in functional network segregation (i.e. the balance of within vs. between-network connectivity strength) induced by high-definition (HD) tDCS in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) during virtual spatial navigation. Twenty patients with MCI and 22 cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls-HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging following two counterbalanced HD-tDCS sessions (one active, one sham) that targeted the right parietal cortex (center anode at P2) and delivered 2 mA for 20 min. Compared to HC, MCI patients showed lower brain-wide network segregation following sham HD-tDCS. However, following active HD-tDCS, MCI patients' network segregation increased to levels similar to those in HC, suggesting functional normalization. Follow-up analyses indicated that the increase in network segregation for MCI patients was driven by HD-tDCS effects on the "high-level"/association brain networks, in particular the dorsal-attention and default-mode networks. HD-tDCS over the right parietal cortex may normalize the segregation/integration balance of association networks during spatial navigation in MCI patients, highlighting its potential to restore brain activity in Alzheimer's disease.<br /> (Published by Oxford University Press 2022.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1460-2199
Volume :
32
Issue :
22
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
35134853
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac010