P07 Timed Up and Go task after applying anodal-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)in people with Parkinson’s disease? Preliminary results
Alizad V[*1,2], Meinzer M[3], Frossard L[4], Polman R[5], Smith SS[6], Kerr G[1]
- Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD.
- Iranian Research Centre on Ageing, The University of Social Welfare and rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.
- Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD.
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD.
- Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.
Locomotion difficulties are disabling to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Current treatment approaches, such as pharmacological treatments and physical rehabilitation have only limited effectiveness in improving ambulation. Deep brain stimulation may be effective in treating the locomotion difficulties, but its highly invasive nature and potential side effects have prompted the search for alternative strategies. TDCS is a non-invasive alternative that might improve locomotor performance in PD (1). The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of anodal-tDCS with two different montages on locomotion in PD. Eight patients (aged 40-80 years; 3 women, 5 men; MDS-UPDRS score: 39.03±10.50) participated in a three-way, cross-over, sham-tDCS controlled study and received bilateral anodal-tDCS (1 mA, 20 minutes, 10×4cm2) of the pre- and primary-motor cortices with either a small active cathode (4×4 cm2), or a large functionally inert cathode (10×10 cm2) over the cerebellum, or sham-tDCS presented randomly while walking on a treadmill over three sessions one week apart. Locomotor performance was measured using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test before and after each tDCS session (2). Only anodal-tDCS over the pre-and primary-motor cortices with a functionally inert cathode combined with treadmill walking significantly decreased time taken to perform the TUG (pre- vs. post diff: 0.76 ± 0.54 sec, 95% CI: 0.34 to 1.18). Sham-tDCS and the biphasic montage (active M1/Cerebellum) did not improve TUG. These results provide preliminary evidence M1 tDCS may be effective to improve walking ability in PD, which needs to be verified in larger samples and in combination
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