Clinical Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

Background and Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes progressive cognitive decline, and while pharmacological options exist, their efficacy is limited.Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) offers a non-pharmacological alternative to enhance neuroplasticity.This study evaluated the long-term effects of tDCS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in AD patients.Methods: Twenty-four patients diagnosed with AD were enrolled and divided into a tDCS group (n=12) and a control group (n=12).tDCS was administered once weekly for 12 months using a 2.0 mA current for 30 minutes per session, with the anodal electrode placed over the left DLPFC and the cathodal electrode over the right DLPFC.Cognitive and functional outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 12 months using the MMSE, CDR, GDS, K-MoCA and NPI.Results: Baseline demographic characteristics and cognitive scores were comparable between the two groups.After 12 months, the tDCS group did not show numerical improvements in MMSE, CDR, GDS, K-MoCA, or NPI scores compared with the control group, and these differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions: Long-term tDCS applied to the DLPFC did not result in statistically significant cognitive improvement in patients with AD.Nonetheless, the fact that cognitive decline did not worsen after 12 months suggests that tDCS may have at least some potential as an adjunctive therapeutic approach.Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to establish its clinical efficacy.