Many treatment options that involve brain stimulation, both invasive and non-invasive, are deployed for older adults who have neurologic disorders.
But certain methods also could be beneficial for more general symptoms of anxiety and depression in seniors, new research shows.
One in four older adults face anxiety and depression issues, according to the study. Some experts have argued that there is a “mental health crisis” in long-term care, although part of that declaration was due to pandemic-era concerns about isolation.
Nevertheless, older adults’ mental health is an undertreated issue and requires more attention, healthcare providers have said over the past few months.
The study looked at a technique called transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, which involves running a mild electrical current through electrodes attached to a participant’s head.
Almost 400 older adults were study participants and received a 12-week tDCS regimen.
“Pharmacological interventions for depression and anxiety in older adults often have significant side effects, presenting the need for more tolerable alternatives,” the study authors wrote.
The next phase of the project could involve a larger trial cohort of seniors with anxiety issues, and the researchers hope to get FDA approval for individual tDCS use in the near future, noting that tDCS treatment for depression already is available in South Korea.
Although the findings showed tDCS was a possible treatment for depression, other recent findings have called into question whether tDCS is equally applicable to aid working memory in older adults living with dementia.
Other research involving non-invasive electrical stimulation has found that certain techniques can shift brain activity and restore certain cognitive functions such as spatial navigation and memory, the McKnight’s Tech Daily recently reported.
The study, which was led by scientists at the University of Florida in Gainesville, was published this month in the journal Brain Stimulation.
