Neuromodulation of Cognition in Older Adults

The current study will investigate methods for enhancing cognitive training effects in
healthy older adults by employing a combination of interventions facilitating neural
plasticity and optimizing readiness for learning. Adults over the age of 65 represent the
fastest growing group in the US population. As such, age-related cognitive decline represents
a major concern for public health. Recent research suggests that cognitive training in older
adults can improve cognitive performance, with effects lasting up to 10 years. However, these
effects are typically limited to the tasks trained, with little transfer to other cognitive
abilities or everyday skills. An adaptive pilot randomized clinical trial will examine the
individual and combined impact of pairing cognitive training with transcranial direct current
stimulation (tDCS). tDCS is a method of non-invasive brain stimulation that directly
stimulates brain regions involved in active cognitive function and enhances neural plasticity
when paired with a training task. We will compare changes in cognitive and brain function
resulting from CT and CT combined with tDCS using a comprehensive neurocognitive, clinical,
and multimodal neuroimaging assessment of brain structure, function, and metabolic state.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Men and women;

- Age: 65 to 95 years

- English speaking

- Physically mobile

Exclusion Criteria:

- Neurological disorders

- Evidence of dementia (MMSE < 20)

- Past opportunistic brain infection

- Major psychiatric illness

- Unstable and chronic (e.g, severe diabetes) medical conditions.

- MRI contraindications (e.g., pregnancy, claustrophobia, metal implants).

- Physical impairment precluding motor response or lying still for 1 hr

- inability to walk two blocks without stopping.