Journal
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
Volume 65, Issue -, Pages 157-172Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.028
Keywords
Transcranial direct current stimulation; Aging; Cognition; Motor function; Learning
Categories
Funding
- Australian Research Council [ARC FT120100608]
- National Health and Medical Research Council [1085272]
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [379-10/1, 379-11/1, DFG-Exc-257]
- Bundesministerium fur Bildung and Forschung [FKZ 01GQ1424A, FKZ 01GQ1420B, 01EO0801]
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [1085272] Funding Source: NHMRC
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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve motor and cognitive function in young individuals and may be a viable tool to counteract age-associated functional impairment. We review the growing body of research that investigated tDCS-effects in aging and attempt to provide a framework to guide future research in this emerging field. The majority of thirty reviewed studies (N=856 older participants) reported beneficial behavioral tDCS-effects across functional domains. Eleven studies included young and older adults and demonstrated that tDCS can restore impaired motor and cognitive functions. Several studies highlighted differences in the extent and timing of tDCS-effects between age-groups and the importance of mediating factors like baseline performance levels. Multi-session tDCS improved cognitive training outcome in two studies, however, limited transfer to untrained materials was reported. Montages inducing beneficial effects in young adults did not improve or even impaired performance in older adults in several studies. Thus, a cautious and more systematic approach that incorporates information about age-associated brain reorganization is advised when aiming to induce more permanent neuroplastic effects in older individuals in future studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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