Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the patients and principal findings of the studies.
| Studies | Nr Disease | Age (y) | Gender F/M | Education (y) | DD | MSE | Principal Neurophysiological Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalkunen et al., 2008 [27] | 5 MCI | 74.0 ± 8.1 | 2/3 | 7.6 ± 3.0 | ? | 25.4 ± 3.2 | Significantly reduced P30 in the ipsilateral temporo-parietal area |
| 5 AD | 73.26 ± 8.1 | 2/3 | 9.6 ± 2.1 | 22.0 ± 5.1 | and in the contralateral centro-frontal cortex | ||
| Jalkunen et al., 2011 [28] | 5 MCI | 74 ± 8 | 2/3 | 7.6 ± 3.0 | ? | ? | P30 amplitude correlated with cognitive decline and showed good specificity |
| 5 AD | 73 ± 8 | 9.6 ± 2.1 | ? | ? | and sensitivity in identifying subjects with MCI or AD | ||
| Casarotto et al., 2011 [29] | 9 AD | 72 ± 7.1 | 5/4 | 10 ± 3.5 | ? | 18 ± 4.5 | The EEG response to TMS of the left superior frontal cortex is not |
| affected by physiological aging but is altered by cognitive impairment | |||||||
| Ferreri et al., 2016 [30] | 12 AD | 72.4 ± 5.9 | 7/5 | 8 ± 3.5 | ? | 20.8 ± 2.7 | The sensorimotor system is hyperexcitable in patients with AD |
| Gandelman-Marton et al., 2017 [31] | 7 AD | 75.5 ± 4.3 | 1/7 | 11.6 ± 2.7 | 2.8 ± 1 | ? | After rTMS significant increase in delta activity over temporal region |
| Positive correlation between alfa power and MMSE | |||||||
| Kumar et al., 2017 [32] | 32 AD | 76.3 ± 6.3 | 17/15 | 13.5 ± 3.8 | ? | 22.6 ± 3.2 | DLPFC plasticity in patients with AD |
| Koch et al. 2018 [33] | 14 AD | 70.0 ± 5.1 | 7/7 | 7.2 ± 3.0 | ? | 26.1 ± 1.8 | rTMS increased neural activity in PC, enhanced brain oscillations in the beta |
| band and modified functional connections between PC and frontal areas | |||||||
| Bagattini et al., 2019 [34] | 26 AD | 76.5 ± 4.7 | 23/3 | 7.7 ± 4.1 | ? | 20.8 ± 2.5 | Higher P30 amplitudes predicted poorer cognitive performances |
| Koch et al., 2020 [33] | 94 AD | 73.9 ± 5.6 | 58/36 | 1 8.5 ± 4.2 | ? | 1 22.9 ± 2,3 | Rotigotine increases frontal cortical activity, but did not significantly affect |
| 2 9.4 ± 4.3 | 2 23.6 ± 2.4 | global cognition | |||||
| Assogna et al., 2020 [35] | 17 AD | 62.35 ± 9.4 | 11/6 | 12.47 ± 3.41 | 2.6 ± 1.3 | ? | Treatment with PEA-LUT restores LICI at ISI 100 ms, increases TMS-evoked |
| frontal lobe activity and high-frequency oscillations in beta/gamma range |
Nr = number; F = female; M = male; DD = disease duration; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination; MCI = mild cognitive impairment; AD = Alzheimer’s disease; DLPFC = dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; PC = precuneus; PEA-LUT = palmitoylethanolamide combined with luteoline; LICI = long-interval intracortical inhibition; ISI = interstimulus interval; ms = milliseconds; 1 rotigotina group; 2 control group.; ? = not reported.