Novel Individualized Brain Stimulation, Network-based Approaches to Improve Cognition in Healthy Seniors and MCI Patients

Executive functions and particularly working memory (WM) play a crucial role in daily life and is frequently impaired in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), constituting one of the driving factors that compromise quality of life and autonomy. WM specifically relies on a vast brain network of cortical and subcortical regions. Among the different subcortical structures implicated in executive functions, both striatum and cerebellum have been linked to WM performance with complementary roles. Striatum is variably affected in the course of different neurodegenerative diseases, while in contrast, the cerebellum has been associated with cognitive resilience and brain reserve, making it a promising target for interventions for cognitive enhancement.

Hence, leveraging the reciprocal striato-cerebellar connections, in this multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept trial, the investigators implemented a sequential multifocal plasticity-inducing stimulation of the striatum and the cerebellum to enhance WM in MCI patients.

The investigators will apply an excitatory intermittent theta burst (iTBS) cerebellar TMS to target the left inferior cerebellar hemisphere and transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) with the same pattern to focally neuromodulate the striatum in MCI patients. In our hypothesis, this combined sequential protocol will synergistically enhance WM performance.

The investigators will analyse not only the resulting behavioral data as the main outcome, but via multimodal neuroimaging (structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging; s/fMRI) and computational modeling methods they will dissect the network mechanisms and patterns of intrinsic connectivity changes underlying the behavioral changes.

Inclusion criteria

• For MCI:
• Age > 18 years old;
• Clinical diagnosis of MCI due to possible or probable Lewy Bodies Dementia or amnestic MCI following core clinical and neuropsychological criteria.
• For Healthy Elderlies:
• Age > 60 years old;
• Normal performance on baseline cognitive screening.

Exclusion criteria

• presence of dementia as assessed by a cognitive test battery and evaluation of daily activities, any major psychiatric disorder (including major depressive episode);
• history of another neurological disease affecting central nervous system (e.g., tumor, epilepsy, stroke, etc.);
• severe or repeated head injury;
• non-compensated systemic or oncological disease;
• presence of MRI-incompatible metal in the body (e.g., cardiac pacemaker).