Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Auditory-Verbal Memory in Healthy Elderly

Background and purpose: Auditory-verbal memory decreases with age. One method to compensate this weakness is transcranial direct current stimulation. The current study investigated the effect of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on auditory-verbal memory performance of healthy elderly people. Materials and methods: In a randomized clinical trial, 42 healthy subjects with no history of cognitive problems were divided into experimental and control groups (n=21 per group). All participants received 10 sessions of electrical stimulation at 2 mA. In order to evaluate the auditory-verbal memory of the subjects, the Persian version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) was used before and after electrical current delivery. Results: In experimental group, the mean scores for all stages of the RAVLT, were found to be significantly different after electrical stimulation compared to those before stimulation (P