tDCS over the left prefrontal Cortex improves mental flexibility and inhibition in geriatric inpatients with symptoms of depression or anxiety: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

This was a pilot study with only 20 analysed participants, and recruitment stopped early because of SARS-CoV-2. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from one geriatric rehabilitation hospital, so they may not represent other settings. All patients also received usual geriatric-oriented physical and occupational therapy, medical care, and nursing care, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The stated primary outcome was broad cognitive performance, and the paper did not report a single primary cognitive endpoint. No test-retest reliability was assessed, so the effect of repeated cognitive testing is not known. Participants completed 10 to 15 sessions rather than a fixed dose, and could sleep, read, or watch television during stimulation. The sample had depression or anxiety symptoms and a mean MoCA of 22.75, which may indicate mild cognitive impairment, so the effect of tDCS on cognition alone is unclear.

Do not conclude that tDCS is an established treatment for depression, anxiety, or functional status in older adults. This was a small pilot trial of cognitive tests in 20 inpatients, and all participants also received usual physical, occupational, medical, and nursing care, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.