Combo of These Non-Drug Therapies May Reduce Dementia Risk

Summary: A new study shows that combo therapy using computer-aided mental exercises, when used along with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), may significantly reduce the risk of dementia in those living with major depressive disorder in remission (rMDD).

 It is good to see that lately, science has been providing an increasing number of evidence that dementia may be prevented or delayed using lifestyle interventions or through specific safe and non-pharmacological means.

Moreover, science has also improved in understanding various dementia risk factors. There are many health conditions if treated effectively in their early stages, may significantly reduce the risk of dementia. Thus, science knows that managing mood disorders like depression and preventing or managing mild cognitive decline may substantially reduce dementia risk or, at least, significantly delay its progress.

New studies show that one of the good ways of reducing dementia risk is by focusing on a specific group of patients known to be more likely to develop dementia. Thus, those living with major depressive disorder in remission (rMDD) and mild cognitive decline (MCI) have an elevated dementia risk. This also means that providing these groups of individuals with some extra care may help lower dementia prevalence.

Moreover, it is not just about preventing dementia. Even if some methods can delay dementia development, they are worth exploring. Delaying dementia means that the person can live independently and in the community for longer.

One of the new studies published in the JAMA Psychiatry tested the role of two non-pharmacological interventions in lowering dementia risk. They provided computer-aided memory exercises and non-invasive mild electrical stimulation to older adults living with rMDD with or without MCI to see if these interventions can lower the risk of dementia development, especially that of Alzheimer’s.

In the study, researchers enrolled 375 adults who had rMDD with or without MCI, with average age of participants being about 72 years. They randomly divided participants into two groups, with one receiving sham or control therapy while the other group receiving computer-aided mental exercises (cognitive remediation technique) along with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

In tDCS, a small and safe amount of electric current is applied to the frontal brain regions using a portable machine that is the size of a smartphone. This application of mild electric current increases brain plasticity and enhances learning abilities.

Book An Appointment With Us

In the intervention group, they provided this treatment intensively for eight weeks, with five sessions every week of brain exercises and tDCS. After that, these participants were continued on booster treatment provided for five days every six months to maintain the effect of eight-week therapy.

Throughout the study, researchers kept testing participants for their mental abilities. They followed study participants for three to seven years. They found that the combination therapy group had much slower cognitive decline compared to the group of participants that received sham treatment.

Researchers also noticed that this benefit was greater in those with a low genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, which means that this combination therapy offers much-needed hope for this specific group of patients.

Researchers say that they are very excited about these findings since those living with rMDD with or without MCI have double the risk of developing dementia, and no treatment seems to reduce this risk. Thus, this is the first time a specific combo treatment has been shown to help.

Researchers think that now there is a need for even more large-scale studies to validate these results in different population groups. Since this kind of treatment is less effective for those with APOE ε4 allele, it also shows the need for providing personalized interventions to those at dementia risk.

Source:

Rajji, T. K., Bowie, C. R., Herrmann, N., Pollock, B. G., Lanctôt, K. L., Kumar, S., Flint, A. J., Mah, L., Fischer, C. E., Butters, M. A., Bikson, M., Kennedy, J. L., Blumberger, D. M., Daskalakis, Z. J., Gallagher, D., Rapoport, M. J., Verhoeff, N. P. L. G. P., Golas, A. C., Graff-Guerrero, A., … PACt-MD Study Group. (2024). Slowing Cognitive Decline in Major Depressive Disorder and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3241