# Treating mild cognitive impairment with transcranial direct current stimulation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $1,865,498

## Abstract

Abstract
 With the growing rate of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and nominal medication effects comes the need for
novel treatment approaches. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a method of non-invasive brain
stimulation that uses weak electric currents to alter the excitability of the brain. Initial evidence suggests that
tDCS may improve cognitive functioning in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's
dementia. As a result, tDCS holds promise for maximizing cognitive and functional abilities as well as delaying
decline that demarcates transition to dementia; an impact that has significant personal and financial
ramifications. Because very little is known about the most effective treatment conditions, the primary goal of
this study is to define tDCS treatment parameters so that future studies can be performed more efficiently and
with greater chances of success. High Definition (HD) tDCS will be used to enhance stimulation focality and
avoid potential confounding effects of the traditional pad-based approach. In this study, patients with MCI will
be randomized to receive five consecutive daily sessions of HD-tDCS at either sham, 1mA, 2mA, or 3mA.
Stimulation will target the lateral temporal cortex; a neuroanatomical target affected early in the course of AD
that is also part of the dysfunctional default mode network. The cognitive effects of HD-tDCS will be measured
daily as well as after the 5 sessions. Network connectivity will be evaluated using resting-state functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (pre-treatment versus post-treatment). Specific Aim 1 is to establish that
HD-tDCS is well tolerated and that sham is an effective control condition. This will be the first study to
systematically evaluate these factors using HD-tDCS and in patients with MCI. Specific Aim 2 is to determine
the multi-session impact of HD-tDCS electrical current intensity on network connectivity and cognitive
measures. Human Connectome fMRI acquisition and graph theory analytic methods will be used to establish
dose-response curves and obtain a deeper understanding of these effects at both local and network levels.
Exploratory Specific Aim 3 will evaluate the impact of AD biomarkers on HD-tDCS response. This will be the
first tDCS study to integrate the amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration (A/T/N) framework, specifically by using
positron emission tomography (PET) ligands to measure beta-amyloid and neurofibrillary tau as well as MRI to
quantify brain volume. This approach builds on decades of efforts to enhance early detection of AD pathology
in vivo by translating this knowledge into a targeted treatment approach. This study immediately addresses
field-relevant questions about dose-response (e.g., linear vs. non-linear effects) and mechanisms of action.
The results will streamline participant selection in subsequent trials, thereby enhancing treatment outcome and
reducing study costs through a precision medicine approach. Taken toget...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10207455
- **Project number:** 5R01AG058724-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin Michael Hampstead
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,865,498
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10207455

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10207455, Treating mild cognitive impairment with transcranial direct current stimulation (5R01AG058724-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10207455. Licensed CC0.

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