21 June 2018
: Case report
Cognitive Rehabilitation and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in a Patient with Posterior Cortical Atrophy: An fMRI Study
Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment
Laura Ludovica Gramegna12BDEF, Stefania Evangelisti12BCD, Claudia Testa12BCD, Simone Baiardi2ADF, Micaela Mitolo12DEF, Sabina Capellari23ABDF, Andrea Stracciari4ADF, Roberto Poda3BDF, Vitantonio Di Stasi3ABD, Lucia Cretella4BDF, Raffaele Lodi12ADEF, Caterina Tonon12ADEF*, Rocco Liguori23ADEFDOI: 10.12659/AJCR.909167
Am J Case Rep 2018; 19:729-733
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome that accounts for 5% of the atypical presentation of Alzheimer disease (AD). To date, only a few studies have explored the effect of non-pharmacological treatment in PCA patients and no studies have evaluated the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in this disorder.
CASE REPORT: A 58-year-old PCA patient underwent a cognitive rehabilitation treatment followed by 2 cycles of tDCS stimulation. The effects of both treatments were monitored over time with a standardized task-based fMRI protocol and with a neuropsychological assessment. Improvements in cognitive abilities, increased fMRI activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and deactivation of the default mode network during the Stroop test performance were detected after each session treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: This combined approach lead to both cognitive improvements and neurophysiological adaptive changes, however, further studies on a larger cohort are needed to confirm these preliminary results.
Keywords: Cognitive Therapy, Dementia, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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