About this trial
This cross-over pilot study aims to study the acceptability of two methods of non-invasive brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson's disease mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) - repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeted at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty participants will undergo both interventions in a cross-over design. They sequentially undergo four consecutive phases (4 weeks each), 1) no-intervention baseline, 2) rTMS ór tDCS, 3) no-intervention, 4) second intervention. The primary outcome measure will be acceptability of the interventions, and secondary outcomes include feasibility, cognitive function, neuropsychiatric symptoms, motor function. We will use MRI to explore personalized targeting.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, diagnosed by a neurologist;
Mild to moderate disease stage (Hoehn & Yahr disease stage < 4);
Montreal Cognitive Assessment score range [21-25] (Dalrymple-Alford et al., 2010), or
performance 1-2 SD below appropriate norms on at least 2 neuropsychological tests, or
Disqualifiers
Indication for dementia based on the SAGE (cut-off ≤ 14; Scharre et al., 2010);
Severe depressive disorder (Beck Depression Inventory - Ib score > 18);
Psychotic disorder (except for benign hallucinations with insight), screened with the Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms for Parkinson's disease;
Indication of alcohol or drug abuse;
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- High-frequency (10Hz) rTMS
- Anodal tDCS