Dhaka, Suman

Objectives: The article assesses the impact of loneliness and age on the mental health and cognitive functioning of individuals aged 45 and above in the Indian context. The mediating effect of marital status and age on the way loneliness impacts individuals’ cognition and mental health is examined. Methods: Data were obtained from the pilot wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, and scores of 1578 participants were considered for analysis. Standardised and validated measures were employed to measure loneliness, mental health and cognition of the participants. Multivariate analysis was employed to investigate the impact of loneliness and age on cognition and mental health. Structural equation modelling was used for evaluating the mediating effect of age and marital status. Results: Loneliness significantly impacted mental health and global cognitive function, whereas age significantly impacted episodic memory and total cognition. Marital status had a significant mediating role on the impact of loneliness on individuals’ mental health and cognitive functioning. Discussion: Fostering social support among lonely individuals might help mitigate loneliness, enhance their mental health status, and slow down cognitive decline.

This randomized controlled trial investigates the optimal dosing for post-stroke rehabilitation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Previous studies demonstrated improvements in cognitive and motor functions with specific intensities of rTMS and tDCS, but this trial explores various frequencies and currents to optimize therapeutic outcomes. A total of 128 post-stroke patients (within 1–6 months of stroke) with paraplegia or hemiplegia are recruited. Patients are divided into four groups for both rTMS (n = 49) and tDCS (n = 49): three groups with different stimulation intensities (1 Hz, 5 Hz, 10 Hz for rTMS; 0.5 mA, 1 mA, 2 mA for tDCS) and a sham control group. Along with this, there is a standard therapy group (n = 30) as control. Participants receive 20 min sessions, five days a week, over six weeks. Cognitive and motor assessments are conducted at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months to measure short-term and sustained effects. • Hemodynamically stable post-stroke patients randomized in four groups in rTMS and tDCS each and their baseline cognitive and motor function assessed • Application of the two types of therapy for 6 weeks • Checking improvement of cognitive and motor function and compare the improvement among subgroups of recipient of various frequencies and currents © 2025