NEuroStimulation for the Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease: an Acceptability Cross-over Study
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.
• Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, diagnosed by a neurologist;
• Mild to moderate disease stage (Hoehn \& Yahr disease stage \< 4);
• Movement Disorders Society level I criteria for PD-MCI (Litvan et al., 2012):
‣ 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
⁃ classification of PD-MCI based on recent (\< 6 months previous to participation) neuropsychological assessment taken elsewhere (report will be requested);- In case of (dopaminergic) medication use, participants are on stable medication for at least one month before participation and expect to remain on stable medication during the study