Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

a) Diagnosis of possible or probable AD according to the National Institute of Aging – Alzheimer’s Association diagnostic criteria [32]

b) Mild or moderate dementia, as defined by the MMSE score between 14 and 26 [33]

c) Clinically meaningful apathy for at least 4 weeks, as defined according to the 2018 Apathy Diagnostic Criteria [34] or NPI-Q apathy score equal or above 4 (i.e., severity of “moderate” or greater, caregiver distress “milder” or greater) [35,36,37]

d) Stable non-pharmacological approaches and doses of cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, and other psychotropic medications for at least 2 months

a) Unstable medical conditions

b) History of epilepsy

c) Metallic objects in the brain

d) Diagnosis of major depression and/or a score higher than 18 on the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia [38]