Table 2.
The stimulation parameters of the reviewed studies.
| Study | Stimulation parameters | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of stimulation | Target region | Location and type of coil/Location and size of electrodes | Duration | Intensity of stimulation | Frequency of stimulation | Method of control | |
| Studies involving patients with AD | |||||||
| Ahmed et al. (2012) | HF and LF-rTMS | Bilateral DLPFC | 90 mm figure-of-eight coil 5 cm rostral in the same sagittal plane as optimal site for MT production | 5 sessions, 2,000 pulses/session | 100% of RMT for HF-TMS, 90% of RMT for LF-TMS | 1 or 20 Hz | Coil elevated from the scalp |
| Alcalá-Lozano et al. (2018) | HF-rTMS | Group 1: LDLPFC, Group 2: 6 regions* | MCF-B70 figure-of-eight coil According to the 10–20 EEG system | 15 sessions, 1,500 pulses/session | 100% of RMT | 5 Hz | No control |
| Cotelli et al. (2006) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC and RDLPFC | Figure-of-eight coil SofTaxic Evolution navigator (x = ±35, y = 24, and z = 48) | 1 session, 600 ms from the onset of the visual stimulus, using a train of 10 pulses, 70 stimuli | 90% of RMT | 20 Hz | Vertex stimulation with a coil held perpendicularly |
| Cotelli et al. (2008) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC and RDLPFC | 70 mm figure-of-eight coil SofTaxic Evolution navigator (x = ±35, y = 24, and z = 48) | 1 session, 500 ms from the onset of the visual stimulus, using a train of 10 pulses, 70 stimuli | 90% of RMT | 20 Hz | Vertex stimulation with a coil held perpendicularly |
| Cotelli et al. (2011) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | 70 mm cooled figure-of-eight coil SofTaxic Evolution Navigationsystem (frameless stereotaxic neuronavigation, Talairach x = −35, y = 24, z = 48) | 10 session for 2 weeks or 20 sessions or 4 weeks, 2,000 pulses/session | 100% of RMT | 20 Hz | Sham coil |
| Devi et al. (2014) | HF-rTMS | Bilateral DLPFC | Figure-of-eight coil 5.5 cm anterior from the location of the first dorsal interosseus | 4 sessions over 2 week, 1,000 pulses/session at 10 Hz or 2,000 pulses/ session at 15 Hz | 90% of MT | 10 Hz or 15 Hz | No control |
| Eliasova et al. (2014) | HF-rTMS | Right IFG | 70 mm figure-eight-shaped aircooled coil n.a. | 1 session, 2,250 pulses | 90% of RMT | 10 Hz | Vertex stimulation |
| Haffen et al. (2012) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | Air cooled figure-of-eight coil 5 cm anterior and parasagittal line from the hand motor area | 10 sessions, 2,000 pulses/session | 100% of RMT | 10 Hz | No control |
| Koch et al. (2018) | HF-rTMS | PC | 70 mm figure-of-eight coil Softaxic Neuronavigation System | 10 sessions, 1,600 pulses/session | 100% of RMT | 20 Hz | Sham coil |
| Rutherford et al. (2015) | HF-rTMS | bilateral DLPFC | n.a. using fix anatomical positions | Stage 1:13 sessions (2 weeks active, 2 weeks sham), 2,000 pulses/sessionStage 2: 10 sessions every 3 months, 2,000 pulses/session | 90–100% of RMT | 20 Hz | 2-cm wooden block between the scalp and the real coil |
| Wu et al. (2015) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | Figure-of-eight coil | 20 sessions, 1,200 pulses/session | 80% of RMT | 20 Hz | Tilted coil (180°) |
| Zhao et al. (2017) | HF-rTMS | Parietal cortex and posterior temporal cortex | n.a. According to the 10-20 EEG system: Parietal P3/P4 and posterior temporal T5/T6 | 30 sessions, 10 min/session, 10 s of 20 Hz/train, 20 s intermediate/train, i.e., 4,000 pulses/session | 10 s of 20 Hz/train, 20 s intermediate/trainn.a. | 20 Hz | Recorded sounds to mimic impulses |
| Bentwich et al. (2011) | TMS-Cog | 6 regions* | 47–86 mm figure-of-eight coil NeuroNix system | 5 sessions/week for 6 weeks, 1,300 pulses/session + cognitive training for 6 weeks, then bi-weekly sessions for 3 months | 90% of MT (when stimulating Broca, R-dlPFC and L-dlPFC) 11% of MT (when stimulating Wernicke, R-pSAC and L-pSAC) | 10 Hz | No control |
| Lee et al. (2016) | TMS-Cog | 6 regions* | n.a. NeuroNix System | 30 sessions, 1,200 pulses/session | 90–110% of RMT | 10 Hz | Recorded sounds to mimic impulses |
| Nguyen et al. (2017) | TMS-Cog | 6 regions* | Figure-of-eight coil NeuroAD system (NeuroNix) | 6 weeks, 3 regions/day, 1,300 pulses/session + cognitive training | 100% of RMT | 10 Hz | No control |
| Rabey et al. (2013) | TMS-Cog | 6 regions* | Figure-of-eight coil NeuroAD system (NeuroNix) | 6 weeks, daily sessions 1,300 impulses/session of rTMS + cognitive training for 6 weeks, then bi-weekly sessions for 3 months | 90% of RMT at Broca' area and leftLDLPFC/right DLPFCRDLPFC, 110% of RMT at Wernicke, and left/right pSAC | 10 Hz | Sham coil |
| Rabey and Dobronevsky (2016) | TMS-Cog | 6 regions* | Figure-of-eight coil NeuroAD system (NeuroNix) | 30 sessions in 6 weeks, daily sessions of 1,300 pulses of rTMS + cognitive training for 6 weeks | 90–110% of RMT | 10 Hz | No control |
| Avirame et al. (2016) | dTMS | bilateral DLPFC | H2-coil 6 cm anterior from the motor cortex | 20 sessions, 2 or 3 times a week, 42 trains for 2 s in every 20 s, for 20 min | 60% of MSO | 10 Hz | No control |
| Penolazzi et al. (2015) | atDCS + cognitive training | LDLPFC | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode: 5 × 7 cm, F3 cathode: 10 × 10 cm, right supraorbital area | 10 sessions, 20 min/session | 2 mA | 10 s active stimulation | |
| Andrade et al. (2016) | atDCS | LDLPFC | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode: 5 × 7 cm, F3 cathode: supraorbital area | 10 sessions, 30 min/session | 2 mA | No control | |
| Boggio et al. (2009) | atDCS | LDLPFC, left temporal cortex | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode: 5 x 7 cm, L-DLPFC: F3, temporal cortex: T7 cathode: 5 x 7 cm, contralateral supraorbital area | 3 sessions, 30 min/session | 2 mA | 30 s active stimulation | |
| Boggio et al. (2012) | atDCS | Bilateral temporal cortex | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode 5 × 7 cm, T3, T4 cathode 8 × 8 cm, over the right deltoid muscle | 5 sessions, 30 min/session | 2 mA | 30 s active stimulation | |
| Bystad et al. (2016) | atDCS | Left temporal cortex | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode: 5 × 7 cm, at T3 cathode: 5 × 7 cm, at Fp2 | 6 sessions, 30 min/session | 2 mA | 30 s active stimulation | |
| Bystad et al. (2017) | atDCS | Left temporal lobe | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode T3 cathode Fp2 | Everyday sessions for 8 months, 30 min/session | 2 mA | No control | |
| Suemoto et al. (2014) | atDCS | LDLPFC | anode 5 × 7 cm, over DLPFC cathode 5 × 7 cm, right supraorbital region | 6 sessions on every 2nd day, 20 min/session | 2 mA | 20 s active stimulation | |
| Ferrucci et al. (2008) | atDCS or ctDCS | Bilateral temporoparietal cortex | According to the 10/20 EEG system: anode or cathode P3-T5 and P6-T4 cathode or anode right deltoid muscle | 3 sessions, 15 min/session | 1.5 mA | 10 s active stimulation | |
| Marceglia et al. (2016) | atDCS or ctDCS | Bilateral temporoparietal cortex | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode 5 × 5 cm, P3-T5, P6-T4 cathode 8 × 8 cm, over the right deltoid muscle | 2 sessions, 15 min/session | 1.5 mA | Comparison of atDCS and ctDCS | |
| Khedr et al. (2014) | atDCS and ctDCS | LDLPFC | anodal: 10 x 10 cm, right supraorbital region (10 x 10 cm) cathodal: 4 x 6 cm, left DLPFCLDLPFC (4 x 6 cm) | 10 sessions, 25 min/session | 2 mA | 30 s active stimulation | |
| Studies involving patients with MCI | |||||||
| Turriziani et al. (2012) | LF rTMS | LDLPFC and RDLPFC | 70 mm figure-of-egiht coil According to the 10-20 EEG system: F3, F4 | 1 session/condition, 600 pulses/session | 90% of RMT | 1 Hz | Tilted coil (no angle mentioned) |
| Drumond Marra et al. (2015) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | Figure-of-eight coil 5 cm in a parasagittal plane parallel to the point of maximum rMT | 10 sessions, 2,000 pulses/session | 110% of RMT | 10 Hz | Sham coil |
| Padala et al. (2018) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | Figure-of-eight coil n.a. | 10 sessions/condition, 3,000 pulses/session | 120% of RMT | 10 Hz | Sham coil |
| Sole-Padulles et al. (2006) | HF-rTMS | LDLPFC | Double-cone coil 5 cm anterior from the point of maximum MT | 1 session, 3,000 pulses | 80% of MT | 5 Hz | Coil positioned tangentially |
| Cotelli et al. (2012) | HF rTMS | Left inferior parietal lobule | 70 mm cooled coil SofTaxic Evolution navigator system (x = −44, y = −51, z = 43) | 10 sessions, 2,000 pulses/session | 100% of RMT | 20 Hz | No control |
| Cruz Gonzalez et al. (2018) | atDCS + cognitive stimulation | LDLPFC | According to the 10–20 EEG system: anode: 7 × 5 cm, F3 cathode: 7 × 5 cm, contralateral deltoid muscle | number of sessions randomized (min. 1 max. 5/condition), 30 min/session | 2 mA | 30 s of active stimulation | |
| Meinzer et al. (2015) | atDCS | Left ventral IFG | anode: 5 × 7 cm, left Brodmann areas (BA) 44/45 cathode: 10 × 10 cm, right supraorbital region | 1 session, 20 min/session | 1 mA | 30 s of active stimulation | |
| Murugaraja et al. (2017) | atDCS | LDLPFC | According to the 10-20 EEG system: anode: 5 × 7 cm, placed between F3 and FP1 cathode: 5 × 7 cm, right supra-orbital area | 5 sessions, 20 min/session | 2 mA | No control | |
HF-rTMS, High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; LF-rTMS, Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; TMS-Cog, combination of high frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation and cognitive training; dTMS, deep transcranial magnetic stimulation; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation; atDCS, anodal transcranial direct current stimulation; ctDCS, cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; LDLPFC, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; RDLPFC, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; PC, precuneus; L-pSAC, left parietal somatosensory association cortices; R-pSAC, right parietal somatosensory association cortices; EEG, electroencephalography; MT, motor threshold; RMT, resting motor threshold; MSO, maximum stimulator output.
*
Six brain regions: Broca's area, Wernicke's area, RDLPFC, LDLPFC, R-pSAC, and L-pSAC.