Can Combination of Cognitive Therapy and Brain Stimulation Slow Down Cognitive Decline?
Suppose it was possible to enhance every brain workout and combine them with minimal brain drills to keep our minds safe as we age. Sounds futuristic, right? But that is a current reality:
Several researchers have discovered that blended therapy which includes CR + tDCS can mitigate aged population’s cognitive decline in conditions such as MDD or MCI.
Understanding the Therapy: CR and tDCS
One would wonder what is really happening in CR and tDCS breakthrough, then? Cognitive remediation, or CR, is best described as a brain exercise. They are multiple consecutive increasing difficulty, computerized cognitive tests aimed at enhancing executive functions of the brain such as memory, attention, and analytical thinking. These are not just endless activities — they are organized, supervised, and tailored to every participant’s capabilities so that people are constantly encouraged to go slightly beyond what they are capable of. It’s like the gym where you’re training your muscles, but here; your cognition is the muscle that has to be conditioned all the time.
Now, introduce tDCS — an extremely non invasive method of nerve stimulation that acts on a low current density to enhance brain’s plasticity. While…
