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Muurling M, de Boer C, Hinds C, Atreya A, Doherty A, Alepopoulos V, Curcic J, Brem AK, Conde P, Kuruppu S, Morató X, Saletti V, Galluzzi S, Vilarino Luis E, Cardoso S, Stukelj T, Kramberger MG, Roik D, Koychev I, Hopøy AC, Schwertner E, Gkioka M, Aarsland D, Visser PJ. Feasibility and usability of remote monitoring in Alzheimer's disease. Digit Health 2024; 10:20552076241238133. [PMID: 38601188 PMCID: PMC11005503 DOI: 10.1177/20552076241238133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Remote monitoring technologies (RMTs) can measure cognitive and functional decline objectively at-home, and offer opportunities to measure passively and continuously, possibly improving sensitivity and reducing participant burden in clinical trials. However, there is skepticism that age and cognitive or functional impairment may render participants unable or unwilling to comply with complex RMT protocols. We therefore assessed the feasibility and usability of a complex RMT protocol in all syndromic stages of Alzheimer's disease and in healthy control participants. Methods For 8 weeks, participants (N = 229) used two activity trackers, two interactive apps with either daily or weekly cognitive tasks, and optionally a wearable camera. A subset of participants participated in a 4-week sub-study (N = 45) using fixed at-home sensors, a wearable EEG sleep headband and a driving performance device. Feasibility was assessed by evaluating compliance and drop-out rates. Usability was assessed by problem rates (e.g., understanding instructions, discomfort, forgetting to use the RMT or technical problems) as discussed during bi-weekly semi-structured interviews. Results Most problems were found for the active apps and EEG sleep headband. Problem rates increased and compliance rates decreased with disease severity, but the study remained feasible. Conclusions This study shows that a highly complex RMT protocol is feasible, even in a mild-to-moderate AD population, encouraging other researchers to use RMTs in their study designs. We recommend evaluating the design of individual devices carefully before finalizing study protocols, considering RMTs which allow for real-time compliance monitoring, and engaging the partners of study participants in the research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn Muurling
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Casper de Boer
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chris Hinds
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Big Data Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Alankar Atreya
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Big Data Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Aiden Doherty
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Big Data Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Vasilis Alepopoulos
- Information Technologies Institute, Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH-ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pauline Conde
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sajini Kuruppu
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Xavier Morató
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentina Saletti
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging & Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Samantha Galluzzi
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging & Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Estefania Vilarino Luis
- Centre de la mémoire, Université de Genève (UNIGE), Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Cardoso
- Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tina Stukelj
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Ljubljana and Medical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Milica Gregorič Kramberger
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Ljubljana and Medical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Department of Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dora Roik
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Central Institute for Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg,
Germany
| | - Ivan Koychev
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ann-Cecilie Hopøy
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Emilia Schwertner
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Department of Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Krakow, Poland
| | - Mara Gkioka
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI – AUTh), Balkan Center, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Pieter Jelle Visser
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Department of Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Muurling M, de Boer C, Vairavan S, Harms RL, Chadha AS, Tarnanas I, Luis EV, Religa D, Gjestsen MT, Galluzzi S, Ibarria Sala M, Koychev I, Hausner L, Gkioka M, Aarsland D, Visser PJ, Brem AK. Augmented reality versus standard tests to assess cognition and function in early Alzheimer's disease. NPJ Digit Med 2023; 6:234. [PMID: 38110486 PMCID: PMC10728213 DOI: 10.1038/s41746-023-00978-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Augmented reality (AR) apps, in which the virtual and real world are combined, can recreate instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and are therefore promising to measure cognition needed for IADL in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) both in the clinic and in the home settings. The primary aim of this study was to distinguish and classify healthy controls (HC) from participants with AD pathology in an early AD stage using an AR app. The secondary aims were to test the association of the app with clinical cognitive and functional tests and investigate the feasibility of at-home testing using AR. We furthermore investigated the test-retest reliability and potential learning effects of the task. The digital score from the AR app could significantly distinguish HC from preclinical AD (preAD) and prodromal AD (proAD), and preAD from proAD, both with in-clinic and at-home tests. For the classification of the proAD group, the digital score (AUCclinic_visit = 0.84 [0.75-0.93], AUCat_home = 0.77 [0.61-0.93]) was as good as the cognitive score (AUC = 0.85 [0.78-0.93]), while for classifying the preAD group, the digital score (AUCclinic_visit = 0.66 [0.53-0.78], AUCat_home = 0.76 [0.61-0.91]) was superior to the cognitive score (AUC = 0.55 [0.42-0.68]). In-clinic and at-home tests moderately correlated (rho = 0.57, p < 0.001). The digital score was associated with the clinical cognitive score (rho = 0.56, p < 0.001). No learning effects were found. Here we report the AR app distinguishes HC from otherwise healthy Aβ-positive individuals, both in the outpatient setting and at home, which is currently not possible with standard cognitive tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn Muurling
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Casper de Boer
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Srinivasan Vairavan
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 1125 Trenton Harbourton Road, Titusville, NJ, 08560, USA
| | | | | | - Ioannis Tarnanas
- Altoida Inc., Washington, DC, USA
- Trinity College Dublin, Global Brain Health Institute - GHBI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Estefania Vilarino Luis
- Centre de la mémoire, Université de Genève (UNIGE), Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dorota Religa
- Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martha Therese Gjestsen
- Centre for Age-related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Samantha Galluzzi
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging & Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marta Ibarria Sala
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ivan Koychev
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lucrezia Hausner
- Central Institute for Mental Health, Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mara Gkioka
- Alzheimer Hellas and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI - AUTh), Balkan Center, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Centre for Age-related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Pieter Jelle Visser
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Zebhauser PT, Vernet M, Nischwitz S, Sämann PG, Brem AK. Neural correlates of transient topographical disorientation: an experimental EEG-MRI case study. J Neurol 2023; 270:6151-6154. [PMID: 37566233 PMCID: PMC10632213 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11902-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Theo Zebhauser
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Marine Vernet
- IMPACT Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (CRNL), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | | | | | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
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Krebs C, Peter J, Brill E, Klöppel S, Brem AK. The moderating effects of sex, age, and education on the outcome of combined cognitive training and transcranial electrical stimulation in older adults. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1243099. [PMID: 37809311 PMCID: PMC10556861 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1243099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Computerized cognitive training (CCT) has been shown to improve cognition in older adults via targeted exercises for single or multiple cognitive domains. Combining CCT with non-invasive brain stimulation is thought to be even more effective due to synergistic effects in the targeted brain areas and networks. However, little is known about the moderating effects of sex, age, and education on cognitive outcomes. Here, we investigated these factors in a randomized, double-blind study in which we administered CCT either combined with transcranial direct (tDCS), alternating (tACS) current stimulation or sham stimulation. 59 healthy older participants (mean age 71.7 ± 6.1) received either tDCS (2 mA), tACS (5 Hz), or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the first 20 min of a CCT (10 sessions, 50 min, twice weekly). Before and after the complete cognitive intervention, a neuropsychological assessment was performed, and the test scores were summarized in a composite score. Our results showed a significant three-way interaction between age, years of education, and stimulation technique (F(6,52) = 5.53, p = 0.007), indicating that the oldest participants with more years of education particularly benefitted from tDCS compared to the sham group, while in the tACS group the youngest participants with less years of education benefit more from the stimulation. These results emphasize the importance of further investigating and taking into account sex, age, and education as moderating factors in the development of individualized stimulation protocols. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03475446.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Krebs
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Peter
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Esther Brill
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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Colombo B, Brem AK, Oosterman J. Editorial: Maintain that brain - protecting and boosting cognitive flexibility. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1279374. [PMID: 37771345 PMCID: PMC10523300 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1279374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Colombo
- Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Champlain College, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Joukje Oosterman
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Fietz J, Pöhlchen D, Brückl TM, Brem AK, Padberg F, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Spoormaker VI. Data-Driven Pupil Response Profiles as Transdiagnostic Readouts for the Detection of Neurocognitive Functioning in Affective and Anxiety Disorders. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023:S2451-9022(23)00149-0. [PMID: 37348604 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurocognitive functioning is a relevant transdiagnostic dimension in psychiatry. As pupil size dynamics track cognitive load during a working memory task, we aimed to explore if this parameter allows identification of psychophysiological subtypes in healthy participants and patients with affective and anxiety disorders. METHODS Our sample consisted of 226 participants who completed the n-back task during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging and pupillometry measurements. We used latent class growth modeling to identify clusters based on pupil size in response to cognitive load. In a second step, these clusters were compared on affective and anxiety symptom levels, performance in neurocognitive tests, and functional magnetic resonance imaging activity. RESULTS The clustering analysis resulted in two distinct pupil response profiles: one with a stepwise increasing pupil size with increasing cognitive load (reactive group) and one with a constant pupil size across conditions (nonreactive group). A larger increase in pupil size was significantly associated with better performance in neurocognitive tests in executive functioning and sustained attention. Statistical maps of parametric modulation of pupil size during the n-back task showed the frontoparietal network in the positive contrast and the default mode network in the negative contrast. The pupil response profile of the reactive group was associated with more thalamic activity, likely reflecting better arousal upregulation and less deactivation of the limbic system. CONCLUSIONS Pupil measurements have the potential to serve as a highly sensitive psychophysiological readout for detection of neurocognitive deficits in the core domain of executive functioning, adding to the development of valid transdiagnostic constructs in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Fietz
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Dorothee Pöhlchen
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Tanja M Brückl
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Victor I Spoormaker
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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Brem AK, Kuruppu S, de Boer C, Muurling M, Diaz-Ponce A, Gove D, Curcic J, Pilotto A, Ng WF, Cummins N, Malzbender K, Nies VJM, Erdemli G, Graeber J, Narayan VA, Rochester L, Maetzler W, Aarsland D. Digital endpoints in clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases: challenges and opportunities. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1210974. [PMID: 37435159 PMCID: PMC10332162 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1210974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD) are associated with progressive cognitive, motor, affective and consequently functional decline considerably affecting Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and quality of life. Standard assessments, such as questionnaires and interviews, cognitive testing, and mobility assessments, lack sensitivity, especially in early stages of neurodegenerative diseases and in the disease progression, and have therefore a limited utility as outcome measurements in clinical trials. Major advances in the last decade in digital technologies have opened a window of opportunity to introduce digital endpoints into clinical trials that can reform the assessment and tracking of neurodegenerative symptoms. The Innovative Health Initiative (IMI)-funded projects RADAR-AD (Remote assessment of disease and relapse-Alzheimer's disease), IDEA-FAST (Identifying digital endpoints to assess fatigue, sleep and ADL in neurodegenerative disorders and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases) and Mobilise-D (Connecting digital mobility assessment to clinical outcomes for regulatory and clinical endorsement) aim to identify digital endpoints relevant for neurodegenerative diseases that provide reliable, objective, and sensitive evaluation of disability and health-related quality of life. In this article, we will draw from the findings and experiences of the different IMI projects in discussing (1) the value of remote technologies to assess neurodegenerative diseases; (2) feasibility, acceptability and usability of digital assessments; (3) challenges related to the use of digital tools; (4) public involvement and the implementation of patient advisory boards; (5) regulatory learnings; and (6) the significance of inter-project exchange and data- and algorithm-sharing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sajini Kuruppu
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - Casper de Boer
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marijn Muurling
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Jelena Curcic
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Pilotto
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Laboratory of Digital Neurology and Biosensors, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Neurology Unit, Department of Continuity of Care and Frailty, ASST Spedali Civili Brescia Hospital, Brescia, Italy
| | - Wan-Fai Ng
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facility, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Cummins
- Department of Biostats and Health Informatics, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Gul Erdemli
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporations, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Johanna Graeber
- Institute of General Practice, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Lynn Rochester
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Newcastle University and The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Maetzler
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein and Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
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Guu TW, Muurling M, Khan Z, Kalafatis C, Aarsland D, Ffytche D, Brem AK. Wearable devices: underrepresentation in the ageing society. Lancet Digit Health 2023; 5:e336-e337. [PMID: 37236695 DOI: 10.1016/s2589-7500(23)00069-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Wei Guu
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Division of Psychiatry, Departments of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Beigang Hospital, Yunlin, Taiwan; Sleep Medicine Center and Mind-Body Interface Laboratory, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Marijn Muurling
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Zunera Khan
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Chris Kalafatis
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway; National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Dominic Ffytche
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Krebs C, Peter J, Brill E, Klöppel S, Brem AK. Moderating effects of gender, age and cognitive reserve on combined cognitive training and transcranial electrical stimulation. Brain Stimul 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.01.579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
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Krebs C, Brill E, Minkova L, Federspiel A, Kellner-Weldon F, Wyss P, Teunissen CE, van Harten AC, Seydell-Greenwald A, Klink K, Züst MA, Brem AK, Klöppel S. Investigating Compensatory Brain Activity in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 93:107-124. [PMID: 36970895 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one possible cause of subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Normal task performance despite ongoing neurodegeneration is typically considered as neuronal compensation, which is reflected by greater neuronal activity. Compensatory brain activity has been observed in frontal as well as parietal regions in SCD, but data are scarce, especially outside the memory domain. OBJECTIVE To investigate potential compensatory activity in SCD. Such compensatory activity is particularly expected in participants where blood-based biomarkers indicated amyloid positivity as this implies preclinical AD. METHODS 52 participants with SCD (mean age: 71.00±5.70) underwent structural and functional neuroimaging (fMRI), targeting episodic memory and spatial abilities, and a neuropsychological assessment. The estimation of amyloid positivity was based on plasma amyloid-β and phosphorylated tau (pTau181) measures. RESULTS Our fMRI analyses of the spatial abilities task did not indicate compensation, with only three voxels exceeding an uncorrected threshold at p < 0.001. This finding was not replicated in a subset of 23 biomarker positive individuals. CONCLUSION Our results do not provide conclusive evidence for compensatory brain activity in SCD. It is possible that neuronal compensation does not manifest at such an early stage as SCD. Alternatively, it is possible that our sample size was too small or that compensatory activity may be too heterogeneous to be detected by group-level statistics. Interventions based on the individual fMRI signal should therefore be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Krebs
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Esther Brill
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lora Minkova
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ber, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Frauke Kellner-Weldon
- Section Neuroradiology of the Department of Radiology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Patric Wyss
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte E Teunissen
- Neurochemistry Laboratory, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Vrije University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Argonde C van Harten
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Katharina Klink
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc A Züst
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Zebhauser PT, Macchia A, Gold E, Salcedo S, Burum B, Alonso-Alonso M, Gilbert DT, Pascual-Leone A, Brem AK. Intranasal Oxytocin Modulates Decision-Making Depending on Outcome Predictability-A Randomized Within-Subject Controlled Trial in Healthy Males. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10123230. [PMID: 36551985 PMCID: PMC9775473 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) has been extensively studied with regard to its socio-cognitive and -behavioral effects. Its potential as a therapeutic agent is being discussed for a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. However, there is limited evidence of its effects on non-social cognition in general and decision-making in particular, despite the importance of these functions in neuropsychiatry. Using a crossover/within-subject, blinded, randomized design, we investigated for the first time if intranasal OT (24 IU) affects decision-making differently depending on outcome predictability/ambiguity in healthy males. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Cambridge Risk Task (CRT) were used to assess decision-making under low outcome predictability/high ambiguity and under high outcome probability/low ambiguity, respectively. After administration of OT, subjects performed worse and exhibited riskier performance in the IGT (low outcome predictability/high ambiguity), whereas they made borderline-significant less risky decisions in the CRT (high outcome probability/low ambiguity) as compared to the control condition. Decision-making in healthy males may therefore be influenced by OT and adjusted as a function of contextual information, with implications for clinical trials investigating OT in neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Theo Zebhauser
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Ana Macchia
- Clinic for Psychiatry/Psychotherapy III, Ulm University, 89075 Ulm, Germany
| | - Edward Gold
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephanie Salcedo
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Bethany Burum
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Miguel Alonso-Alonso
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Daniel T. Gilbert
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA 02131, USA
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
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12
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Owens AP, Krebs C, Kuruppu S, Brem AK, Kowatsch T, Aarsland D, Klöppel S. Broadened assessments, health education and cognitive aids in the remote memory clinic. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1033515. [PMID: 36568790 PMCID: PMC9768191 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1033515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of dementia is increasing and poses a health challenge for individuals and society. Despite the desire to know their risks and the importance of initiating early therapeutic options, large parts of the population do not get access to memory clinic-based assessments. Remote memory clinics facilitate low-level access to cognitive assessments by eschewing the need for face-to-face meetings. At the same time, patients with detected impairment or increased risk can receive non-pharmacological treatment remotely. Sensor technology can evaluate the efficiency of this remote treatment and identify cognitive decline. With remote and (partly) automatized technology the process of cognitive decline can be monitored but more importantly also modified by guiding early interventions and a dementia preventative lifestyle. We highlight how sensor technology aids the expansion of assessments beyond cognition and to other domains, e.g., depression. We also illustrate applications for aiding remote treatment and describe how remote tools can facilitate health education which is the cornerstone for long-lasting lifestyle changes. Tools such as transcranial electric stimulation or sleep-based interventions have currently mostly been used in a face-to-face context but have the potential of remote deployment-a step already taken with memory training apps. Many of the presented methods are readily scalable and of low costs and there is a range of target populations, from the worried well to late-stage dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Owens
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christine Krebs
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sajini Kuruppu
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom,University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Kowatsch
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland,School of Medicine, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland,Centre for Digital Health Interventions, Department Management, Technology, and Economics at ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland,*Correspondence: Stefan Klöppel
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13
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Brill E, Krebs C, Falkner M, Peter J, Henke K, Züst M, Minkova L, Brem AK, Klöppel S. Can a serious game-based cognitive training attenuate cognitive decline related to Alzheimer's disease? Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:552. [PMID: 35962371 PMCID: PMC9373273 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-04131-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health issue. Cognitive interventions such as computerized cognitive trainings (CCT) are effective in attenuating cognitive decline in AD. However, in those at risk of dementia related to AD, results are heterogeneous. Efficacy and feasibility of CCT needs to be explored in depth. Moreover, underlying mechanisms of CCT effects on the three cognitive domains typically affected by AD (episodic memory, semantic memory and spatial abilities) remain poorly understood. METHODS In this bi-centric, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with parallel groups, participants (planned N = 162, aged 60-85 years) at risk for AD and with at least subjective cognitive decline will be randomized to one of three groups. We will compare serious game-based CCT against a passive wait list control condition and an active control condition (watching documentaries). Training will consist of daily at-home sessions for 10 weeks (50 sessions) and weekly on-site group meetings. Subsequently, the CCT group will continue at-home training for an additional twenty-weeks including monthly on-site booster sessions. Investigators conducting the cognitive assessments will be blinded. Group leaders will be aware of participants' group allocations. Primarily, we will evaluate change using a compound value derived from the comprehensive cognitive assessment for each of three cognitive domains. Secondary, longitudinal functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and evaluation of blood-based biomarkers will serve to investigate neuronal underpinnings of expected training benefits. DISCUSSION The present study will address several shortcomings of previous CCT studies. This entails a comparison of serious game-based CCT with both a passive and an active control condition while including social elements crucial for training success and adherence, the combination of at-home and on-site training, inclusion of booster sessions and assessment of physiological markers. Study outcomes will provide information on feasibility and efficacy of serious game-based CCT in older adults at risk for AD and will potentially generalize to treatment guidelines. Moreover, we set out to investigate physiological underpinnings of CCT induced neuronal changes to form the grounds for future individually tailored interventions and neuro-biologically informed trainings. TRIAL REGISTRATION This RCT was registered 1st of July 2020 at clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier NCT04452864).
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Brill
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland.
- Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Christine Krebs
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Falkner
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Peter
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Henke
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory and Consciousness, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc Züst
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lora Minkova
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
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14
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Ehrhardt NM, Fietz J, Kopf-Beck J, Kappelmann N, Brem AK. Separating EEG correlates of stress: Cognitive effort, time pressure, and social-evaluative threat. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2464-2473. [PMID: 33780086 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex is a key player in stress response regulation. Electroencephalographic (EEG) responses, such as a decrease in frontal alpha and an increase in frontal beta power, have been proposed to reflect stress-related brain activity. However, the stress response is likely composed of different parts such as cognitive effort, time pressure, and social-evaluative threat, which have not been distinguished in previous studies. This distinction, however, is crucial if we aim to establish reliable tools for early detection of stress-related conditions and monitoring of stress responses throughout treatment. This randomized cross-over study (N = 38) aimed to disentangle EEG correlates of stress. With linear mixed models accounting for missing values in some conditions, we found a decrease in frontal alpha and increase in beta power when performing the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT; cognitive effort; n = 32) compared to resting state (n = 33). No change in EEG power was found when the PASAT was performed under time pressure (n = 29) or when adding social-evaluative threat (video camera; n = 29). These findings suggest that frontal EEG power can discriminate stress from resting state but not more fine-grained differences of the stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Ehrhardt
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Julia Fietz
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Nils Kappelmann
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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15
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Antal A, Luber B, Brem AK, Bikson M, Brunoni AR, Cohen Kadosh R, Dubljević V, Fecteau S, Ferreri F, Flöel A, Hallett M, Hamilton RH, Herrmann CS, Lavidor M, Loo C, Lustenberger C, Machado S, Miniussi C, Moliadze V, Nitsche MA, Rossi S, Rossini PM, Santarnecchi E, Seeck M, Thut G, Turi Z, Ugawa Y, Venkatasubramanian G, Wenderoth N, Wexler A, Ziemann U, Paulus W. Non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroenhancement. Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2022; 7:146-165. [PMID: 35734582 PMCID: PMC9207555 DOI: 10.1016/j.cnp.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The available data frame with a wide parameter space of tES does not allow an overarching protocol recommendation. Established engineering risk-management procedures with regard to manufacturing should be followed. Consensus among experts is that tES for neuroenhancement is safe as long as tested protocols are followed.
Attempts to enhance human memory and learning ability have a long tradition in science. This topic has recently gained substantial attention because of the increasing percentage of older individuals worldwide and the predicted rise of age-associated cognitive decline in brain functions. Transcranial brain stimulation methods, such as transcranial magnetic (TMS) and transcranial electric (tES) stimulation, have been extensively used in an effort to improve cognitive functions in humans. Here we summarize the available data on low-intensity tES for this purpose, in comparison to repetitive TMS and some pharmacological agents, such as caffeine and nicotine. There is no single area in the brain stimulation field in which only positive outcomes have been reported. For self-directed tES devices, how to restrict variability with regard to efficacy is an essential aspect of device design and function. As with any technique, reproducible outcomes depend on the equipment and how well this is matched to the experience and skill of the operator. For self-administered non-invasive brain stimulation, this requires device designs that rigorously incorporate human operator factors. The wide parameter space of non-invasive brain stimulation, including dose (e.g., duration, intensity (current density), number of repetitions), inclusion/exclusion (e.g., subject’s age), and homeostatic effects, administration of tasks before and during stimulation, and, most importantly, placebo or nocebo effects, have to be taken into account. The outcomes of stimulation are expected to depend on these parameters and should be strictly controlled. The consensus among experts is that low-intensity tES is safe as long as tested and accepted protocols (including, for example, dose, inclusion/exclusion) are followed and devices are used which follow established engineering risk-management procedures. Devices and protocols that allow stimulation outside these parameters cannot claim to be “safe” where they are applying stimulation beyond that examined in published studies that also investigated potential side effects. Brain stimulation devices marketed for consumer use are distinct from medical devices because they do not make medical claims and are therefore not necessarily subject to the same level of regulation as medical devices (i.e., by government agencies tasked with regulating medical devices). Manufacturers must follow ethical and best practices in marketing tES stimulators, including not misleading users by referencing effects from human trials using devices and protocols not similar to theirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Antal
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Corresponding author at: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Robert Koch Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Bruce Luber
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marom Bikson
- Biomedical Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY) of the City University of New York (CUNY), NY, USA
| | - Andre R. Brunoni
- Departamento de Clínica Médica e de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation (SIN), Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Institute of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Veljko Dubljević
- Science, Technology and Society Program, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Shirley Fecteau
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Centre intégré universitaire en santé et services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Florinda Ferreri
- Unit of Neurology, Unit of Clinical Neurophysiology, Study Center of Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Standort Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Roy H. Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christoph S. Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Michal Lavidor
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Collen Loo
- School of Psychiatry and Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales; The George Institute; Sydney, Australia
| | - Caroline Lustenberger
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sergio Machado
- Department of Sports Methods and Techniques, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
- Laboratory of Physical Activity Neuroscience, Neurodiversity Institute, Queimados-RJ, Brazil
| | - Carlo Miniussi
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences – CIMeC and Centre for Medical Sciences - CISMed, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Vera Moliadze
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU, Dortmund, Germany
- Dept. Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
| | - Simone Rossi
- Siena Brain Investigation and Neuromodulation Lab (Si-BIN Lab), Unit of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Italy
| | - Paolo M. Rossini
- Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Brain Connectivity Lab, IRCCS-San Raffaele-Pisana, Rome, Italy
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Precision Neuroscience and Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margitta Seeck
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Thut
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, EEG & Epolepsy Unit, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Zsolt Turi
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Yoshikazu Ugawa
- Department of Human Neurophysiology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | | | - Nicole Wenderoth
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore
| | - Anna Wexler
- Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ulf Ziemann
- Department of Neurology and Stroke, University of Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Walter Paulus
- Department of of Neurology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Germany
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16
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Hoy KE, Fitzgibbon BM, Brem AK. Lessons from an initiative to address gender bias. eLife 2021; 10:75818. [PMID: 34908529 PMCID: PMC8673833 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
How a letter addressing the lack of women invited to speak at a conference in brain stimulation encouraged researchers to take action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Hoy
- Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, Epworth Healthcare and Monash University Department of Psychiatry, Camberwell, Australia
| | - Bernadette M Fitzgibbon
- Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, Epworth Healthcare and Monash University Department of Psychiatry, Camberwell, Australia.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Neuropsychology, Lucerne Psychiatry, Lucerne, Switzerland.,Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology and Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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17
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Bulubas L, Goerigk S, Gomes JS, Brem AK, Carvalho JB, Pinto BS, Elkis H, Gattaz WF, Padberg F, Brunoni AR, Valiengo L. Cognitive outcomes after tDCS in schizophrenia patients with prominent negative symptoms: Results from the placebo-controlled STARTS trial. Schizophr Res 2021; 235:44-51. [PMID: 34304146 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with poor functional outcomes and limited in terms of treatment. The Schizophrenia Treatment With Electric Transcranial Stimulation (STARTS) trial has shown efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving negative symptoms. In this secondary analysis, we investigate its effects on cognitive performance. In STARTS, a double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial, patients were treated with twice-daily, 20-min, 2-mA fronto-temporal tDCS over 5 days or sham-tDCS. In 90 patients, we evaluated the cognitive performance up to 12 weeks post-treatment. We found that active-tDCS showed no beneficial effects over sham-tDCS in any of the tests. Based on a 5-factor cognitive model, improvements of executive functions and delayed memory were observed in favor of sham-tDCS. Overall, the applied active-tDCS protocol, primarily designed to improve negative symptoms, did not promote cognitive improvement. We discuss possible protocol modification potentially required to increase tDCS effects on cognition. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02535676.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Bulubas
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, Munich, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Goerigk
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychological Methodology and Assessment, LMU, Munich, Germany; Hochschule Fresenius, University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany
| | - July S Gomes
- Schizophrenia Program, Dep. of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Neuropsychology, Lucerne Psychiatry, Switzerland; Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juliana B Carvalho
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca S Pinto
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Helio Elkis
- Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wagner F Gattaz
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, Munich, Germany
| | - Andre R Brunoni
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Leandro Valiengo
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Krebs C, Peter J, Wyss P, Brem AK, Klöppel S. Transcranial electrical stimulation improves cognitive training effects in healthy elderly adults with low cognitive performance. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 132:1254-1263. [PMID: 33875372 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of transcranial direct (tDCS) or alternating current stimulation (tACS) in boosting cognitive training efficiency in healthy older adults. We further explored whether such improvements depend on general cognitive performance or age. METHODS In this randomized, sham-controlled study, 59 healthy elderly participants (mean age 71.7) were assigned to receive computer-based cognitive training (10 sessions, 50 min, twice weekly) combined with tDCS (2 mA), tACS (5 Hz), or sham stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (20 minutes). Cognitive performance was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and a cognitive composite score derived from a broad neuropsychological test battery before and immediately after the intervention as well as at 6 and 12 months follow-ups. RESULTS Performance in the cognitive composite score improved significantly in all groups but was not further modulated by neurostimulation. Additional analyses revealed that participants with a low initial MoCA score (<1SD) improved significantly more in the tDCS than in the sham group. CONCLUSION TDCS increased the efficacy of cognitive training, but only in participants with initially low general cognitive performance. SIGNIFICANCE Cognitive interventions including tDCS should address baseline performance as modulating factor of cognitive outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Krebs
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Jessica Peter
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patric Wyss
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Neuropsychology, Lucerne Psychiatry, Lucerne, Switzerland; Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Brambilla M, Dinkelbach L, Bigler A, Williams J, Zokaei N, Cohen Kadosh R, Brem AK. The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging. Front Neurol 2021; 12:625359. [PMID: 33767658 PMCID: PMC7985554 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.625359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objective: Aging is associated with a decline in attentional and executive abilities, which are linked to physiological, structural, and functional brain changes. A variety of novel non-invasive brain stimulation methods have been probed in terms of their neuroenhancement efficacy in the last decade; one that holds significant promise is transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) that delivers an alternate current at random amplitude and frequency. The aim of this study was to investigate whether repeated sessions of tRNS applied as an add-on to cognitive training (CT) may induce long-term near and far transfer cognitive improvements. Methods: In this sham-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study forty-two older adults (age range 60-86 years) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups that received 20 min of 0.705 mA tRNS (N = 14), 1 mA tRNS (N = 14), or sham tRNS (N = 19) combined with 30 min of CT of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory). tRNS was applied bilaterally over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices for five sessions. The primary outcome (non-verbal logical reasoning) and other cognitive functions (attention, memory, executive functions) were assessed before and after the intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. Results: Non-verbal logical reasoning, inhibitory control and reaction time improved significantly over time, but stimulation did not differentially affect this improvement. These changes occurred during CT, while no further improvement was observed during follow-up. Performance change in logical reasoning was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving 1 mA tRNS, indicating that older participants profited more from tRNS than younger participants. Performance change in non-verbal working memory was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving sham tRNS, indicating that in contrast to active tRNS, older participants in the sham group declined more than younger participants. Interpretation: CT induced cognitive improvements in all treatment groups, but tRNS did not modulate most of these cognitive improvements. However, the effect of tRNS depended on age in some cognitive functions. We discuss possible explanations leading to this result that can help to improve the design of future neuroenhancement studies in older populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Brambilla
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Department, Center for Research and Treatment on Cognitive Dysfunctions, “Luigi Sacco” Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lars Dinkelbach
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Annelien Bigler
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joseph Williams
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nahid Zokaei
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Division for Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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20
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Kopf-Beck J, Zimmermann P, Egli S, Rein M, Kappelmann N, Fietz J, Tamm J, Rek K, Lucae S, Brem AK, Sämann P, Schilbach L, Keck ME. Schema therapy versus cognitive behavioral therapy versus individual supportive therapy for depression in an inpatient and day clinic setting: study protocol of the OPTIMA-RCT. BMC Psychiatry 2020; 20:506. [PMID: 33054737 PMCID: PMC7557007 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02880-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder represents (MDD) a major cause of disability and disease burden. Beside antidepressant medication, psychotherapy is a key approach of treatment. Schema therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, especially personality disorders, in a variety of settings and patient groups. Nevertheless, there is no evidence on its effectiveness for MDD in an inpatient nor day clinic setting and little is known about the factors that drive treatment response in such a target group. METHODS In the current protocol, we outline OPTIMA (OPtimized Treatment Identification at the MAx Planck Institute): a single-center randomized controlled trial of schema therapy as a treatment approach for MDD in an inpatient and day clinic setting. Over the course of 7 weeks, we compare schema therapy with cognitive behavioral therapy and individual supportive therapy, conducted in individual and group sessions and with no restrictions regarding concurrent antidepressant medication, thus approximating real-life treatment conditions. N = 300 depressed patients are included. All study therapists undergo a specific training and supervision and therapy adherence is assessed. Primary outcome is depressive symptom severity as self-assessment (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and secondary outcomes are clinical ratings of MDD (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), recovery rates after 7 weeks according to the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview, general psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory), global functioning (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule), and clinical parameters such as dropout rates. Further parameters on a behavioral, cognitive, psychophysiological, and biological level are measured before, during and after treatment and in 2 follow-up assessments after 6 and 24 months after end of treatment. DISCUSSION To our knowledge, the OPTIMA-Trial is the first to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy as a treatment approach of MDD, to investigate mechanisms of change, and explore predictors of treatment response in an inpatient and day clinic setting by using such a wide range of parameters. Insights from OPTIMA will allow more integrative approaches of psychotherapy of MDD. Especially, the identification of intervention-specific markers of treatment response can improve evidence-based clinical decision for individualizing treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION Identifier on clinicaltrials.gov : NCT03287362 ; September, 12, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kopf-Beck
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany.
| | - Petra Zimmermann
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Samy Egli
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Rein
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Nils Kappelmann
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Fietz
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Jeanette Tamm
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Rek
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
| | - Susanne Lucae
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Neuropsychology, Lucerne Psychiatry, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Sämann
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, München, Germany
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin E Keck
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany
- Schmieder Hospital in Gailingen, Gailingen, Germany
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21
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Yoo WK, Vernet M, Kim JH, Brem AK, Bashir S, Ifert-Miller F, Im CH, Eldaief M, Pascual-Leone A. Corrigendum: Interhemispheric and Intrahemispheric Connectivity From the Left Pars Opercularis Within the Language Network Is Modulated by Transcranial Stimulation in Healthy Subjects. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:249. [PMID: 32760262 PMCID: PMC7372921 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Kyoung Yoo
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, South Korea
| | - Marine Vernet
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), CNRS UMR5292, INSERM, U1028, University Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Jung-Hoon Kim
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Neuropsychology, Memory Clinic Zentralschweiz, Lucerne Psychiatry, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Shahid Bashir
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fritz Ifert-Miller
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Chang-Hwan Im
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Mark Eldaief
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Hinda and Arthur Institute for Aging Research and Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, United States.,Guttmann Brain Health Institute, Institut Guttmann de Neurorehabilitation, Universitat Autonoma, Barcelona, Spain
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22
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Brem AK, Di Iorio R, Fried PJ, Oliveira-Maia AJ, Marra C, Profice P, Quaranta D, Schilberg L, Atkinson NJ, Seligson EE, Rossini PM, Pascual-Leone A. Corticomotor Plasticity Predicts Clinical Efficacy of Combined Neuromodulation and Cognitive Training in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:200. [PMID: 32733232 PMCID: PMC7360860 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with cognitive training for treatment of cognitive symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A secondary objective was to analyze associations between brain plasticity and cognitive effects of treatment. METHODS In this randomized, sham-controlled, multicenter clinical trial, 34 patients with AD were assigned to three experimental groups receiving 30 daily sessions of combinatory intervention. Participants in the real/real group (n = 16) received 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered separately to each of six cortical regions, interleaved with computerized cognitive training. Participants in the sham rTMS group (n = 18) received sham rTMS combined with either real (sham/real group, n = 10) or sham (sham/sham group, n = 8) cognitive training. Effects of treatment on neuropsychological (primary outcome) and neurophysiological function were compared between the 3 treatment groups. These, as well as imaging measures of brain atrophy, were compared at baseline to 14 healthy controls (HC). RESULTS At baseline, patients with AD had worse cognition, cerebral atrophy, and TMS measures of cortico-motor reactivity, excitability, and plasticity than HC. The real/real group showed significant cognitive improvement compared to the sham/sham, but not the real/sham group. TMS-induced plasticity at baseline was predictive of post-intervention changes in cognition, and was modified across treatment, in association with changes of cognition. INTERPRETATION Combined rTMS and cognitive training may improve the cognitive status of AD patients, with TMS-induced cortical plasticity at baseline serving as predictor of therapeutic outcome for this intervention, and potential mechanism of action. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01504958.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Riccardo Di Iorio
- Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Polyclinic A. Gemelli Foundation-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Peter J. Fried
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Albino J. Oliveira-Maia
- Champalimaud Research and Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Lisboa, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Camillo Marra
- Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Polyclinic A. Gemelli Foundation-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Profice
- Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Polyclinic A. Gemelli Foundation-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide Quaranta
- Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Polyclinic A. Gemelli Foundation-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Lukas Schilberg
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Natasha J. Atkinson
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Erica E. Seligson
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Paolo Maria Rossini
- Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Guttmann Brain Health Institut, Institut Guttmann, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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23
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Brückl TM, Spoormaker VI, Sämann PG, Brem AK, Henco L, Czamara D, Elbau I, Grandi NC, Jollans L, Kühnel A, Leuchs L, Pöhlchen D, Schneider M, Tontsch A, Keck ME, Schilbach L, Czisch M, Lucae S, Erhardt A, Binder EB. The biological classification of mental disorders (BeCOME) study: a protocol for an observational deep-phenotyping study for the identification of biological subtypes. BMC Psychiatry 2020; 20:213. [PMID: 32393358 PMCID: PMC7216390 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02541-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A major research finding in the field of Biological Psychiatry is that symptom-based categories of mental disorders map poorly onto dysfunctions in brain circuits or neurobiological pathways. Many of the identified (neuro) biological dysfunctions are "transdiagnostic", meaning that they do not reflect diagnostic boundaries but are shared by different ICD/DSM diagnoses. The compromised biological validity of the current classification system for mental disorders impedes rather than supports the development of treatments that not only target symptoms but also the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The Biological Classification of Mental Disorders (BeCOME) study aims to identify biology-based classes of mental disorders that improve the translation of novel biomedical findings into tailored clinical applications. METHODS BeCOME intends to include at least 1000 individuals with a broad spectrum of affective, anxiety and stress-related mental disorders as well as 500 individuals unaffected by mental disorders. After a screening visit, all participants undergo in-depth phenotyping procedures and omics assessments on two consecutive days. Several validated paradigms (e.g., fear conditioning, reward anticipation, imaging stress test, social reward learning task) are applied to stimulate a response in a basic system of human functioning (e.g., acute threat response, reward processing, stress response or social reward learning) that plays a key role in the development of affective, anxiety and stress-related mental disorders. The response to this stimulation is then read out across multiple levels. Assessments comprise genetic, molecular, cellular, physiological, neuroimaging, neurocognitive, psychophysiological and psychometric measurements. The multilevel information collected in BeCOME will be used to identify data-driven biologically-informed categories of mental disorders using cluster analytical techniques. DISCUSSION The novelty of BeCOME lies in the dynamic in-depth phenotyping and omics characterization of individuals with mental disorders from the depression and anxiety spectrum of varying severity. We believe that such biology-based subclasses of mental disorders will serve as better treatment targets than purely symptom-based disease entities, and help in tailoring the right treatment to the individual patient suffering from a mental disorder. BeCOME has the potential to contribute to a novel taxonomy of mental disorders that integrates the underlying pathomechanisms into diagnoses. TRIAL REGISTRATION Retrospectively registered on June 12, 2019 on ClinicalTrials.gov (TRN: NCT03984084).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja M. Brückl
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Victor I. Spoormaker
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Philipp G. Sämann
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XBerenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Division for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Lara Henco
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Darina Czamara
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Immanuel Elbau
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Norma C. Grandi
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Lee Jollans
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Anne Kühnel
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany ,grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095International Max Planck Research School – Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Laura Leuchs
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Dorothee Pöhlchen
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany ,grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095International Max Planck Research School – Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Maximilian Schneider
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Alina Tontsch
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Martin E. Keck
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Czisch
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne Lucae
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Angelika Erhardt
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B. Binder
- grid.419548.50000 0000 9497 5095Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA
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24
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Yoo WK, Vernet M, Kim JH, Brem AK, Bashir S, Ifert-Miller F, Im CH, Eldaief M, Pascual-Leone A. Interhemispheric and Intrahemispheric Connectivity From the Left Pars Opercularis Within the Language Network Is Modulated by Transcranial Stimulation in Healthy Subjects. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:63. [PMID: 32256324 PMCID: PMC7090226 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural activity related to language can be modulated within widespread networks following learning or in response to disruption—including the experimental application of noninvasive brain stimulation. However, the spatiotemporal characteristics of such modulation remain insufficiently explored. The present study combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to explore the modulation of activity across the language network following continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) of the left pars opercularis. In 10 healthy subjects (21 ± 2 years old, four females), neuronavigated cTBS was delivered over the left pars opercularis of the frontal operculum (part of the traditional Broca’s area) at 80% of active motor threshold (AMT) stimulation intensity. Real cTBS and sham cTBS were performed in two different visits separated by at least 48 h. Before, immediately, and 10 min after cTBS, 30 single pulses of TMS were delivered to the left pars opercularis at 80% of the resting motor threshold (RMT), whereas EEG was simultaneously recorded. We examined the cTBS-induced modulation of phase locking values (PLVs) between the TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) recorded over the pars opercularis and those recorded over its right-hemispheric homolog area, the left supramarginal area, and the left superior temporal area in different EEG frequency bands and different time windows following cTBS. cTBS to the left pars opercularis induced within the gamma band: (1) a significant increase in TEP phase synchronization between the left and right pars opercularis at an early time window (250–350 ms) following cTBS; and (2) significantly increased PLV with the left supramarginal area and the left superior temporal area at a later time window (600–700 ms). In the theta and delta band, cTBS to the left pars opercularis induced significantly increased phase synchronization of TEPs between the left pars opercularis and the posterior left hemispheric language areas at a late time window. In sham condition, there was a significant decrease in TEP phase synchronization of the high beta band between left pars opercularis and left superior temporal area at 200–300 ms. These results contribute to characterize the dynamics of the language network and may have implications in the development of noninvasive stimulation protocols to promote the language rehabilitation in aphasia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Kyoung Yoo
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, South Korea
| | - Marine Vernet
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), CNRS UMR5292, INSERM, U1028, University Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Jung-Hoon Kim
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Neuropsychology, Memory Clinic Zentralschweiz, Lucerne Psychiatry, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Shahid Bashir
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fritz Ifert-Miller
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Chang-Hwan Im
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Mark Eldaief
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Hinda and Arthur Institute for Aging Research and Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, United States.,Guttmann Brain Health Institute, Institut Guttmann de Neurorehabilitation, Universitat Autonoma, Barcelona, Spain
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25
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Borrione L, Bellini H, Razza LB, Avila AG, Baeken C, Brem AK, Busatto G, Carvalho AF, Chekroud A, Daskalakis ZJ, Deng ZD, Downar J, Gattaz W, Loo C, Lotufo PA, Martin MDGM, McClintock SM, O'Shea J, Padberg F, Passos IC, Salum GA, Vanderhasselt MA, Fraguas R, Benseñor I, Valiengo L, Brunoni AR. Precision non-implantable neuromodulation therapies: a perspective for the depressed brain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 42:403-419. [PMID: 32187319 PMCID: PMC7430385 DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2019-0741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Current first-line treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) include pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, one-third of depressed patients do not achieve remission after multiple medication trials, and psychotherapy can be costly and time-consuming. Although non-implantable neuromodulation (NIN) techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, and magnetic seizure therapy are gaining momentum for treating MDD, the efficacy of non-convulsive techniques is still modest, whereas use of convulsive modalities is limited by their cognitive side effects. In this context, we propose that NIN techniques could benefit from a precision-oriented approach. In this review, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in implementing such a framework, focusing on enhancing NIN effects via a combination of individualized cognitive interventions, using closed-loop approaches, identifying multimodal biomarkers, using computer electric field modeling to guide targeting and quantify dosage, and using machine learning algorithms to integrate data collected at multiple biological levels and identify clinical responders. Though promising, this framework is currently limited, as previous studies have employed small samples and did not sufficiently explore pathophysiological mechanisms associated with NIN response and side effects. Moreover, cost-effectiveness analyses have not been performed. Nevertheless, further advancements in clinical trials of NIN could shift the field toward a more “precision-oriented” practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Borrione
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Helena Bellini
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Lais Boralli Razza
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana G Avila
- Centro de Neuropsicologia e Intervenção Cognitivo-Comportamental, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Geraldo Busatto
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Andre F Carvalho
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Adam Chekroud
- Spring Health, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Zafiris J Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zhi-De Deng
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutic & Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jonathan Downar
- Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Mental Health and Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Wagner Gattaz
- Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas,
Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Colleen Loo
- School of Psychiatry and Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Paulo A Lotufo
- Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto (ELSA), Centro de Pesquisa Clínica e Epidemiológica, Hospital Universitário, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria da Graça M Martin
- Laboratório de Ressonância Magnética em Neurorradiologia (LIM-44) and Instituto de Radiologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Shawn M McClintock
- Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacinta O'Shea
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ives C Passos
- Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular e Programa de
Transtorno Bipolar, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Giovanni A Salum
- Departamento de Psiquiatria, Seção de Afeto Negativo e Processos Sociais (SANPS), HCPA, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Renerio Fraguas
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Hospital Universitário, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabela Benseñor
- Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto (ELSA), Centro de Pesquisa Clínica e Epidemiológica, Hospital Universitário, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Leandro Valiengo
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Andre R Brunoni
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas,
Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBioN), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Hospital Universitário, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Zebhauser PT, Vernet M, Unterburger E, Brem AK. Visuospatial Neglect - a Theory-Informed Overview of Current and Emerging Strategies and a Systematic Review on the Therapeutic Use of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation. Neuropsychol Rev 2019; 29:397-420. [PMID: 31748841 PMCID: PMC6892765 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-019-09417-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Visuospatial neglect constitutes a supramodal cognitive deficit characterized by reduction or loss of spatial awareness for the contralesional space. It occurs in over 40% of right- and 20% of left-brain-lesioned stroke patients with lesions located mostly in parietal, frontal and subcortical brain areas. Visuospatial neglect is a multifaceted syndrome - symptoms can be divided into sensory, motor and representational neglect - and therefore requires an individually adapted diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Several models try to explain the origins of visuospatial neglect, of which the "interhemispheric rivalry model" is strongly supported by animal and human research. This model proposes that allocation of spatial attention is balanced by transcallosal inhibition and both hemispheres compete to direct attention to the contralateral hemi-space. Accordingly, a brain lesion causes an interhemispheric imbalance, which may be re-installed by activation of lesioned, or deactivation of unlesioned (over-activated) brain areas through noninvasive brain stimulation. Research in larger patient samples is needed to confirm whether noninvasive brain stimulation can improve long-term outcomes and whether these also affect activities of daily living and discharge destination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Theo Zebhauser
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Marine Vernet
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Evelyn Unterburger
- Division of Neuropsychology, Universitätsklinik Zürich USZ, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany. .,Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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27
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Almquist JNF, Mathan S, Brem AK, Plessow F, McKanna J, Santarnecchi E, Pascual-Leone A, Cohen Kadosh R, Pavel M, Yeung N. FAST: A Novel, Executive Function-Based Approach to Cognitive Enhancement. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:235. [PMID: 31427935 PMCID: PMC6687878 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study introduces a novel cognitive intervention aimed at improving fluid intelligence (Gf), based on a framework we refer to as FAST: Flexible, Adaptive, Synergistic Training. FAST leverages a combination of novel game-based executive function (EF) training—designed specifically to enhance the likelihood of transfer—and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), with aims to synergistically activate and strengthen mechanisms of cognitive control critical to Gf. To test our intervention, we collected three Gf measures from 113 participants [the advanced short Bochumer Matrizen-Test (BOMAT), Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM), and matrices similar to Raven’s generated by Sandia labs], prior to and following one of three interventions: (1) the FAST + tRNS intervention, a combination of 30 min of daily training with our novel training game, Robot Factory, and 20 min of concurrent transcranial random noise stimulation applied to bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); (2) an adaptively difficult Active Control intervention comprised of visuospatial tasks that specifically do not target Gf; or (3) a no-contact control condition. Analyses of changes in a Gf factor from pre- to post-test found numerical increases for the FAST + tRNS group compared to the two control conditions, with a 0.3 SD increase relative to Active Control (p = 0.07), and a 0.19 SD increase relative to a No-contact control condition (p = 0.26). This increase was found to be largely driven by significant differences in pre- and post-test Gf as measured on the BOMAT test. Progression through the FAST training game (Robot Factory) was significantly correlated with changes in Gf. This is in contrast with progress in the Active Control condition, as well as with changes in individual EFs during FAST training, which did not significantly correlate with changes in Gf. Taken together, this research represents a useful step forward in providing new insights into, and new methods for studying, the nature of Gf and its malleability. Though our results await replication and extension, they provide preliminary evidence that the crucial characteristic of Gf may, in fact, be the ability to combine EFs rapidly and adaptively according to changing demand, and that Gf may be susceptible to targeted training.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Santosh Mathan
- Honeywell Labs, Honeywell Aerospace, Redmond, WA, United States
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division for Cognitive Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Experimental Psychology, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Franziska Plessow
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division for Cognitive Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James McKanna
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division for Cognitive Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division for Cognitive Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Misha Pavel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nick Yeung
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Brem AK, Hurlemann R, Mutz J, Kiebs M, Brem AK. New avenues in brain stimulation treatments for major depression: Efficacy, acceptability, and translation of novel treatments into clinical practice. Encephale 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2019.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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29
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Brambilla M, Brem AK. Negative findings of a combined approach of tRNS and cognitive training in healthy aging. Encephale 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2019.04.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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30
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Engler L, Adolf C, Heinrich DA, Brem AK, Riester A, Franke A, Beuschlein F, Reincke M, Steiger A, Künzel H. Effects of chronically high levels of aldosterone on different cognitive dimensions: an investigation in patients with primary aldosteronism. Endocr Connect 2019; 8:407-415. [PMID: 30865927 PMCID: PMC6454298 DOI: 10.1530/ec-19-0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Primary aldosteronism is a natural model for chronic aldosterone excess in humans and associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Cognitive deficits are inherent to the symptomatology of depression and anxiety disorders. Mineralocorticoid receptors and aldosterone appear to play a role in memory. Aldosterone was additionally supposed to be a risk factor for cognitive decline in patients with essential hypertension. The objective of this study was to investigate possible effects of chronically high aldosterone concentrations on cognitive function. A range of cognitive dimensions were assessed in 19 patients (9 males, 10 females); mean age 47.1 (12.5) under standardized treatment and several rating scales for anxiety, depression, quality of life and sleep were administered. Cognitive parameters were compared to standard norms from a large, healthy standardization sample. Patients showed increased levels of anxiety and depression without meeting diagnostic criteria for a disorder. Besides a numerically lower attention score, patients did not show any significant differences in the cognitive dimensions. Anxiety and depression were negatively correlated with quantitative performance in males. In females, a negative correlation between sleep disturbances and abstract reasoning and a positive correlation with quantitative performance were found. Our data showed no specific effect of chronic aldosterone in the tested cognitive parameters overall at least in younger patients, but they indicate sexually dimorphic regulation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Engler
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Christian Adolf
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Daniel A Heinrich
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Riester
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Anna Franke
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Felix Beuschlein
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
| | - Martin Reincke
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
- Correspondence should be addressed to M Reincke:
| | - Axel Steiger
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Heike Künzel
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU München, Munchen, Germany
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Brem AK, Sensi SL. Towards Combinatorial Approaches for Preserving Cognitive Fitness in Aging. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:885-897. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Fried PJ, Schilberg L, Brem AK, Saxena S, Wong B, Cypess AM, Horton ES, Pascual-Leone A. Humans with Type-2 Diabetes Show Abnormal Long-Term Potentiation-Like Cortical Plasticity Associated with Verbal Learning Deficits. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 55:89-100. [PMID: 27636847 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accelerates cognitive aging and increases risk of Alzheimer's disease. Rodent models of T2DM show altered synaptic plasticity associated with reduced learning and memory. Humans with T2DM also show cognitive deficits, including reduced learning and memory, but the relationship of these impairments to the efficacy of neuroplastic mechanisms has never been assessed. OBJECTIVE Our primary objective was to compare mechanisms of cortical plasticity in humans with and without T2DM. Our secondary objective was to relate plasticity measures to standard measures of cognition. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted on 21 adults with T2DM and 15 demographically-similar non-diabetic controls. Long-term potentiation-like plasticity was assessed in primary motor cortex by comparing the amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation before and after intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS). Plasticity measures were compared between groups and related to neuropsychological scores. RESULTS In T2DM, iTBS-induced modulation of MEPs was significantly less than controls, even after controlling for potential confounds. Furthermore, in T2DM, modulation of MEPs 10-min post-iTBS was significantly correlated with Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT) performance. CONCLUSION Humans with T2DM show abnormal cortico-motor plasticity that is correlated with reduced verbal learning. Since iTBS after-effects and the RAVLT are both NMDA receptor-dependent measures, their relationship in T2DM may reflect brain-wide alterations in the efficacy of NMDA receptors. These findings offer novel mechanistic insights into the brain consequences of T2DM and provide a reliable means to monitor brain health and evaluate the efficacy of clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Fried
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lukas Schilberg
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sadhvi Saxena
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bonnie Wong
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Frontotemporal Dementia Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Aaron M Cypess
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edward S Horton
- Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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33
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Brem AK, Lehto SM, Keeser D, Padberg F. There is no magic in speaker policies: creating gender equality at brain stimulation conferences : Editorial II to the supplement from the 2nd European Conference on brain stimulation in psychiatry. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2017; 267:113-114. [PMID: 29159504 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-017-0854-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany. .,Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Soili M Lehto
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Clinical Medicine/Psychiatry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Daniel Keeser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.,Department of Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
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34
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Dinkelbach L, Brambilla M, Manenti R, Brem AK. Non-invasive brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease: Exploiting crossroads of cognition and mood. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 75:407-418. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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35
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Brem AK, Lehto SM. Stuck between Bench and Bedside: Why Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Is Not Accessible to Depressed Patients in Europe. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:39. [PMID: 28217090 PMCID: PMC5289969 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryMunich, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxford, UK
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Interventional Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA
- *Correspondence: Anna-Katharine Brem
| | - Soili M. Lehto
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of HelsinkiHelsinki, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern FinlandKuopio, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University HospitalKuopio, Finland
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Luojus MK, Lehto SM, Tolmunen T, Brem AK, Lönnroos E, Kauhanen J. Self-reported sleep disturbance and incidence of dementia in ageing men. J Epidemiol Community Health 2016; 71:329-335. [DOI: 10.1136/jech-2016-207764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Brem AK, Unterburger E, Speight I, Jäncke L. Treatment of visuospatial neglect with biparietal tDCS and cognitive training: a single-case study. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:180. [PMID: 25324736 PMCID: PMC4179329 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Symptoms of visuospatial neglect occur frequently after unilateral brain damage. Neglect hampers rehabilitation progress and is associated with reduced quality of life. However, existing treatment methods show limited efficacy. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique, which can be used to increase or decrease brain excitability. Its combination with conventional neglect therapy may enhance treatment efficacy. A 72-year-old male with a subacute ischemic stroke of the right posterior cerebral artery suffering from visuospatial neglect, hemianopia, and hemiparesis was treated with biparietal tDCS and cognitive neglect therapy in a double-blind, sham-controlled single-case study. Four weeks of daily treatment sessions (5 days per week, 30 min) were started 26 days post-stroke. During week 1 and 4 the patient received conventional neglect therapy, during week 2, conventional neglect therapy was combined once with sham and once with real biparietal tDCS. Week 3 consisted of daily sessions of real biparietal tDCS (1 mA, 20 min) combined with neglect therapy. Outcome measures were assessed before, immediately after, as well as 1 week and 3 months after the end of treatment. They included subtests of the Test for Attentional Performance (TAP): covert attention (main outcome), alertness, visual field; the Neglect-Test (NET): line bisection, cancelation, copying; and activities of daily living (ADL). After real stimulation, covert attention allocation toward left-sided invalid stimuli was significantly improved, and line bisection and copying improved qualitatively as compared to sham stimulation. ADL were only improved at the 3-month follow-up. This single-case study demonstrates for the first time that combined application of tDCS and cognitive training may enhance training-induced improvements in measures of visuospatial neglect and is applicable in a clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evelyn Unterburger
- Department of Neuropsychology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irving Speight
- Department of Neuropsychology, Zürcher Höhenklinik Wald ZHW, Rehabilitation Center Faltigberg-Wald, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; University Research Priority Program "Dynamic of Healthy Aging," University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Department of Special Education, King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Brem AK, Fried PJ, Horvath JC, Robertson EM, Pascual-Leone A. Is neuroenhancement by noninvasive brain stimulation a net zero-sum proposition? Neuroimage 2014; 85 Pt 3:1058-68. [PMID: 23880500 PMCID: PMC4392930 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past several years, the number of studies investigating enhancement of cognitive functions through noninvasive brain stimulation (NBS) has increased considerably. NBS techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial current stimulation, seem capable of enhancing cognitive functions in patients and in healthy humans, particularly when combined with other interventions, including pharmacologic, behavioral and cognitive therapies. The "net zero-sum model", based on the assumption that brain resources are subjected to the physical principle of conservation of energy, is one of the theoretical frameworks proposed to account for such enhancement of function and its potential cost. We argue that to guide future neuroenhancement studies, the net-zero sum concept is helpful, but only if its limits are tightly defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter J. Fried
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Cerebral Dynamics, Plasticity and Rehabilitation, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jared C. Horvath
- Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Edwin M. Robertson
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institut Guttman de Neurorehabilitació, Universitat Autonoma, Barcelona, Spain
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Brem AK, Atkinson NJ, Seligson EE, Pascual-Leone A. Differential pharmacological effects on brain reactivity and plasticity in Alzheimer's disease. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:124. [PMID: 24109459 PMCID: PMC3791426 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are the most commonly prescribed monotherapeutic medications for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, their underlying neurophysiological effects remain largely unknown. We investigated the effects of monotherapy (AChEI) and combination therapy (AChEI and memantine) on brain reactivity and plasticity. Patients treated with monotherapy (AChEI) (N = 7) were compared to patients receiving combination therapy (COM) (N = 9) and a group of age-matched, healthy controls (HCs) (N = 13). Cortical reactivity and plasticity of the motor cortex were examined using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Cognitive functions were assessed with the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), activities of daily living (ADLs) with the ADCS-ADL. In addition we assessed the degree of brain atrophy by measuring brain-scalp distances in seven different brain areas. Patient groups differed in resting motor threshold and brain atrophy, with COM showing a lower motor threshold but less atrophy than AChEI. COM showed similar plasticity effects as the HC group, while plasticity was reduced in AChEI. Long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) was impaired in both patient groups when compared to HC. ADAS-Cog scores were positively correlated with LICI measures and with brain atrophy, specifically in the left inferior parietal cortex. AD patients treated with mono- or combination-therapy show distinct neurophysiological patterns. Further studies should investigate whether these measures might serve as biomarkers of treatment response and whether they could guide other therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA
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Abstract
Learning and memory functions are crucial in the interaction of an individual with the environment and involve the interplay of large, distributed brain networks. Recent advances in technologies to explore neurobiological correlates of neuropsychological paradigms have increased our knowledge about human learning and memory. In this chapter we first review and define memory and learning processes from a neuropsychological perspective. Then we provide some illustrations of how noninvasive brain stimulation can play a major role in the investigation of memory functions, as it can be used to identify cause-effect relationships and chronometric properties of neural processes underlying cognitive steps. In clinical medicine, transcranial magnetic stimulation may be used as a diagnostic tool to understand memory and learning deficits in various patient populations. Furthermore, noninvasive brain stimulation is also being applied to enhance cognitive functions, offering exciting translational therapeutic opportunities in neurology and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharine Brem
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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