Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39874376›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2025

Pre-treatment subjective sleep quality as a predictive biomarker of tDCS effects in preclinical Alzheimer's disease patients: Secondary analysis of a randomised clinical trial.

Hanna Lu, Xi Ni, Sandra Sau Man Chan, Calvin Pak Wing Cheng, Waichi Chan, Linda Chiu Wa Lam

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Comparison of Sleep Architecture in Individuals Aged 65 to 80 Years With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Multi-Channel Sleep Monitoring.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease: Mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hanna LuDepartment of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9090-258X
Xi NiDepartment of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Sandra Sau Man ChanDepartment of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Calvin Pak Wing ChengDepartment of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4457-1908
Waichi ChanDepartment of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Linda Chiu Wa LamDepartment of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has demonstrated encouraging potential for modulating the circadian rhythm, little is known about how well and sustainably tDCS might improve the subjective sleep quality in older adults. This study sought to determine how tDCS affected sleep quality and cognition, as well as how well pre-treatment sleep quality predicted tDCS effects on domain-specific cognitive functions in patients with mild neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer's disease (NCD-AD).

methodsThis clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of tDCS and cognitive training in mild NCD-AD patients (n =  201). Over the course of four weeks, patients were randomized to receive either tDCS plus working memory training, or sham tDCS plus working memory training, or tDCS plus controlled cognitive training. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measured subjective sleep quality. The Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) was used to evaluate domain-specific cognitive functions.

resultsRecurrent tDCS treatments enhanced subjective sleep quality and cognition considerably. The poor sleepers (i.e., PSQI >  5) who received tDCS treatment had more cognitive benefits (p =  0.031, Cohen's d =  0.605) and sleep improvements (p <  0.001, Cohen's d =  1.209) in comparison to cognitive training. Pre-treatment subjective sleep quality was linked to tDCS-induced improvement in memory function.

conclusionDuring the course of two months, repeated tDCS could considerably enhance subjective sleep quality. For the cognitive benefits of the treatments, the status of pre-treatment subjective sleep quality is crucial. More thorough research is necessary to explore an efficient approach to managing comorbidities for preclinical AD patients.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseSleep QualityTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersCognitionCognitive DysfunctionFemaleHumansMaleMemory, Short-TermMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID39874376
PMCPMC11774347

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.