The small trial tested the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which sends an electrical current through electrodes affixed to the scalp to alter the functioning of targeted brain regions. The study was rigorously performed with results of two doses of tDCS compared with a control group. Unlike Alzheimer’s medications that target plaques and protein tangles in the brain that disrupt mental abilities, tDCS doesn’t alter brain pathology. Instead, its purpose is restoring damaged neural pathways to improve cognitive functioning.

“Around one-third of the active treatment groups experienced clinically meaningful improvements in verbal learning in this pilot trial,” said lead author Christian LoBue, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurological Surgery at UT Southwestern and an Investigator in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. “That’s quite remarkable and mirrors the success rates for some of the earliest neuromodulation trials that led to Food and Drug Administration approval for treating depression. It’s a very encouraging starting point.”