Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Mindfulness for Cognitive and Mood Recovery in Stroke Survivors: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study
Atekeh Mosannaei Najibi
Faculty of Psychology , Marand Azad University , Marand , Iran
Search for more papers by this authorSama Rahnemayan
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorAlireza Poursoleimani
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorRasoul Heshmati
Department of Psychology , University of Tabriz , Tabriz , Iran , tabrizu.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorMohammad Ali Nazari
Department of Neuroscience , Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine , Iran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran , iums.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorErfan Golshan Shali
Faculty of Psychology , Marand Azad University , Marand , Iran
Search for more papers by this authorEhsan Nasiri
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mehdi Farhoudi
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorAtekeh Mosannaei Najibi
Faculty of Psychology , Marand Azad University , Marand , Iran
Search for more papers by this authorSama Rahnemayan
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorAlireza Poursoleimani
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorRasoul Heshmati
Department of Psychology , University of Tabriz , Tabriz , Iran , tabrizu.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorMohammad Ali Nazari
Department of Neuroscience , Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine , Iran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran , iums.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorErfan Golshan Shali
Faculty of Psychology , Marand Azad University , Marand , Iran
Search for more papers by this authorEhsan Nasiri
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mehdi Farhoudi
Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) , Tabriz University of Medical Sciences , Tabriz , Iran , tbzmed.ac.ir
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Background: Cognitive impairments and depression are common after stroke. Noninvasive treatments like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mindfulness-based interventions have shown potential for improving these outcomes, though their effects on stroke survivors remain unclear. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of mindfulness and tDCS in enhancing cognitive function and alleviating depression in stroke survivors.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial, conducted from July 2021 to July 2022, included 30 stroke survivors divided into three groups: mindfulness (n = 5), tDCS (n = 14), and control (n = 11). Cognitive function was measured using Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) before and after interventions. The tDCS group received 10 sessions of anodal stimulation, and the mindfulness group underwent eight weekly sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests for within-group comparisons and ANOVA for between-group differences.
Results: The tDCS group showed significant improvement in cognitive function, with ACE-III scores increasing by 9.14 ± 8.24 points (p = 0.02). Fluency and orientation scores also improved significantly in this group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively). No significant cognitive changes were observed in the mindfulness group. Depression scores (BDI-II) did not change significantly in any group.
Conclusions: tDCS significantly improved cognitive performance, particularly in fluency and orientation, while mindfulness showed no significant cognitive or depression-related effects. Future studies should explore the long-term impact of these interventions in stroke rehabilitation.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: IRCT20090716002195N3
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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