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Akbari NJ, Tahan N, Naimi SS, Baghban AA, Moghadam NB, Zoghi M. Comparing the effects of cerebellar and prefrontal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation concurrent with postural training on balance and fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:1087-1100. [PMID: 38483566 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06816-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Fatigue and balance disorders are common challenges experienced by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) individuals. The purpose of this study was to compare the concurrent effects of cerebellar and prefrontal anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) with postural training on balance and fatigue in MS patients. 51 patients were evaluated to randomly allocation to a-tDCS over cerebellum, a-tDCS over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and sham group. 46 individuals (n = 16 in experimental groups and n = 14 in control group) followed treatment. All the groups received 10 sessions of postural training. The experimental groups underwent a-tDCS with a current of 1.5 mA for a period of 20 min. While, in the sham group, tDCS was only activated for 30 s and then turned off. The treatment included 10 sessions for four weeks. Before and after intervention, fatigue and balance were assessed using Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance Score (BBS), respectively. There was found a significant reduction in fatigue in the group receiving a-tDCS over the prefrontal cortex with postural training compared to the other two groups (P < 0.001). Additionally, a significant improvement was found in balance in the group receiving a-tDCS over the cerebellum concurrent with postural training in comparison to the other two groups (P < 0.001). Besides, in the sham group, the significant results were not reported in the variables. (P > 0.001). The results demonstrated that a-tDCS enhances the effects of postural training on balance and fatigue in MS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Jahantigh Akbari
- Student Research Committee, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, PhD Candidate of Physiotherapy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nahid Tahan
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Damavand street, Emam Hossein square, Tehran, 1616913111, Iran.
| | - Sedigheh Sadat Naimi
- Physiotherapy Research Center, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban
- Proteomics Research Center, Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nahid Beladi Moghadam
- Department of Neurology, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Zoghi
- Discipline of Physiotherapy, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia
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Nombela-Cabrera R, Pérez-Nombela S, Avendaño-Coy J, Comino-Suárez N, Arroyo-Fernández R, Gómez-Soriano J, Serrano-Muñoz D. Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation on balance and gait in patients with multiple sclerosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2023; 20:142. [PMID: 37875941 PMCID: PMC10594930 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-023-01266-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Motor impairments are very common in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Noninvasive brain stimulation could influence the motor function of patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on balance and gait ability in patients with multiple sclerosis. Additionally, a secondary aim was to compare the influence of the stimulation location of tDCS on current effectiveness. METHODS A search was conducted for randomized controlled trials published up to May 2023 comparing the application of tDCS versus a sham or control group. The primary outcome variables were balance and gait ability. RESULTS Eleven studies were included in the qualitative analysis, and ten were included in the quantitative analysis, which included 230 patients with multiple sclerosis. The average effect of tDCS on gait functionality was superior to that of the control group (SMD = -0.71; 95% CI, -1.05 to -0.37). However, the overall results of the tDCS vs. sham effect on static balance did not show significant differences between groups (MD = 1.26, 95% CI, -1.31 to 3.82). No significant differences were found when different locations of tDCS were compared. CONCLUSIONS These results reveal that tDCS is an effective treatment for improving gait ability with a low quality of evidence. However, the application of tDCS has no effect on static balance in patients with multiple sclerosis with very low quality of evidence. Similarly, there seems to be no difference regarding the stimulation area with tDCS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Soraya Pérez-Nombela
- Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group (GIFTO), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
| | - Juan Avendaño-Coy
- Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group (GIFTO), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Natalia Comino-Suárez
- Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group (GIFTO), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Rubén Arroyo-Fernández
- Physiotherapy Unit, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Prado, Talavera de la Reina, Spain
- Research Group on Water and Health (GIAS), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Julio Gómez-Soriano
- Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group (GIFTO), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Diego Serrano-Muñoz
- Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group (GIFTO), Faculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
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Hiew S, Eibeck L, Nguemeni C, Zeller D. The Influence of Age and Physical Activity on Locomotor Adaptation. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1266. [PMID: 37759867 PMCID: PMC10526769 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aging increases individual susceptibility to falls and injuries, suggesting poorer adaptation of balance responses to perturbation during locomotion, which can be measured with the locomotor adaptation task (LAT). However, it is unclear how aging and lifestyle factors affect these responses during walking. Hence, the present study investigates the relationship between balance and lifestyle factors during the LAT in healthy individuals across the adult lifespan using a correlational design. METHODS Thirty participants aged 20-78 years performed an LAT on a split-belt treadmill (SBT). We evaluated the magnitude and rate of adaptation and deadaptation during the LAT. Participants reported their lifelong physical and cognitive activity. RESULTS Age positively correlated with gait-line length asymmetry at the late post-adaptation phase (p = 0.007). These age-related effects were mediated by recent physical activity levels (p = 0.040). CONCLUSION Our results confirm that locomotor adaptive responses are preserved in aging, but the ability to deadapt newly learnt balance responses is compromised with age. Physical activity mediates these age-related effects. Therefore, gait symmetry post-adaptation could effectively measure the risk of falling, and maintaining physical activity could protect against declines in balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Hiew
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (L.E.); (C.N.); (D.Z.)
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Muñoz-Paredes I, Herrero AJ, Seco-Calvo J. Influence of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Exercise on Physical Capacity and Gait in Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Over Pilot Study. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11101384. [PMID: 37239670 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11101384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical capacity provides a link between disease or impairment and limitations in activity; in multiple sclerosis (MS), it is limited and decreased. The aim of this study was to study the effects of exercise and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex area in MS patients with fatigue and an impaired gait ability. A cross-over design was carried out on fifteen patients with two disability associations, but three were excluded. Before and after each intervention, the 6 min walk test (6MWT) and the 2 min walk test (2MWT) were used to assess walking ability and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) was used to assess fatigue. A total of twelve patients were enrolled (48.0 median age, Kurtzke Disability Scale (EDSS) 3.66 ± 1.3): five females and seven males. After the application of the exercise program, significant improvements were observed in the 6MWT (p < 0.001, g = 0.159) and 2MWT (p < 0.001, g = 0.182). Furthermore, fatigue was significantly reduced after the application of the exercise program (p < 0.05, g = 0.742) and after tDCS (p < 0.05, g = 0.525). We could consider therapeutic exercise in the future to improve the walking ability and fatigue in MS patients. Furthermore, tDCS did not exert a significant improvement in walking ability, but it appeared to influence fatigue. Clinical trial registration code: ACTRN12622000264785.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Azael J Herrero
- Department of Health Sciences, European University Miguel de Cervantes, 47012 Valladolid, Spain
- Research Center on Physical Disability, ASPAYM Castilla y León, 47008 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jesús Seco-Calvo
- Institute of Biomedicine (BIOMED), Universidad de León, 24071 Leon, Spain
- Physiology Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
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Fettrow T, Hupfeld K, Hass C, Pasternak O, Seidler R. Neural correlates of gait adaptation in younger and older adults. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3842. [PMID: 36890163 PMCID: PMC9995534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30766-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobility decline is a major concern for older adults. A key component of maintaining mobility with advancing age is the ability to learn and adapt to the environment. The split-belt treadmill paradigm is an experimental protocol that tests the ability to adapt to a dynamic environment. Here we examined the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) derived structural neural correlates of individual differences in adaptation to split-belt walking for younger and older adults. We have previously shown that younger adults adopt an asymmetric walking pattern during split-belt walking, particularly in the medial-lateral (ML) direction, but older adults do not. We collected T[Formula: see text]-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI scans to quantify brain morphological characteristics (i.e. in the gray matter and white matter) on these same participants. We investigated two distinct questions: (1) Are there structural brain metrics that are associated with the ability to adopt asymmetry during split-belt walking; and (2) Are there different brain-behavior relationships for younger and older adults? Given the growing evidence that indicates the brain has a critical role in the maintenance of gait and balance, we hypothesized that brain areas commonly associated with locomotion (i.e. basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex, cerebellum) would be associated with ML asymmetry and that older adults would show more associations between split-belt walking and prefrontal brain areas. We identified multiple brain-behavior associations. More gray matter volume in the superior frontal gyrus and cerebellar lobules VIIB and VIII, more sulcal depth in the insula, more gyrification in the pre/post central gyri, and more fractional anisotropy in the corticospinal tract and inferior longitudinal fasciculus corresponded to more gait asymmetry. These associations did not differ between younger and older adults. This work progresses our understanding of how brain structure is associated with balance during walking, particularly during adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Fettrow
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA.
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA.
| | - Kathleen Hupfeld
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Chris Hass
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Ofer Pasternak
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachael Seidler
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
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Sato SD, Hiroi Y, Zoppo D, Buonaccorsi J, Miehm JD, van Emmerik REA. Spatiotemporal gait changes in people with multiple sclerosis with different disease progression subtypes. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2022; 100:105818. [PMID: 36435079 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2022.105818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gait impairment is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but less is known about gait differences between MS disease progression subtypes. The objective here was to examine differences in spatiotemporal gait in MS and between relapsing-remitting and progressive subtypes during the timed-25-ft-walk test. Our specific aims were to investigate (1) spatiotemporal, (2) spatiotemporal variability, and (3) gait modulation differences between healthy controls and MS subtypes at preferred and fast walking speed. METHODS This study included 27 controls, 18 relapsing-remitting MS, and 13 progressive MS participants. Participants wore six inertial sensors and walked overground without walking aids at preferred and fast-as-possible speeds. FINDINGS Both MS groups had significantly lower walking speed than controls, with a trend towards lower preferred gait speed in progressive compared to relapsing-remitting MS (ES = 0.502). Although most spatiotemporal gait parameters differed between controls and MS groups, differences were not significant between MS subtypes in these parameters and their variability, with low to moderate effect sizes during preferred and fast walking. Both MS groups showed reduced modulation in gait compared to controls and no significant differences between MS subtypes. INTERPRETATION Gait in MS is altered compared to controls. Although gait may change with progressive MS, the overall small differences in the gait parameters between the MS subtypes observed in this sample suggests that those with the progressive form of MS who are independently ambulatory and without further clinically meaningful changes in gait speed may not show gait decrements greater than the relapsing-remitting form of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumire D Sato
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA; Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Yeun Hiroi
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Danielle Zoppo
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - John Buonaccorsi
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Jules D Miehm
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Richard E A van Emmerik
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA; Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
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Split-Belt Training but Not Cerebellar Anodal tDCS Improves Stability Control and Reduces Risk of Fall in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Brain Sci 2021; 12:brainsci12010063. [PMID: 35053807 PMCID: PMC8773736 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the therapeutic potential of multiple sessions of training on a split-belt treadmill (SBT) combined with cerebellar anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on gait and balance in People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Twenty-two PwMS received six sessions of anodal (PwMSreal, n = 12) or sham (PwMSsham, n = 10) tDCS to the cerebellum prior to performing the locomotor adaptation task on the SBT. To evaluate the effect of the intervention, functional gait assessment (FGA) scores and distance walked in 2 min (2MWT) were measured at the baseline (T0), day 6 (T5), and at the 4-week follow up (T6). Locomotor performance and changes of motor outcomes were similar in PwMSreal and PwMSsham independently from tDCS mode applied to the cerebellum (anodal vs. sham, on FGA, p = 0.23; and 2MWT, p = 0.49). When the data were pooled across the groups to investigate the effects of multiple sessions of SBT training alone, significant improvement of gait and balance was found on T5 and T6, respectively, relative to baseline (FGA, p < 0.001 for both time points). The FGA change at T6 was significantly higher than at T5 (p = 0.01) underlining a long-lasting improvement. An improvement of the distance walked during the 2MWT was also observed on T5 and T6 relative to T0 (p = 0.002). Multiple sessions of SBT training resulted in a lasting improvement of gait stability and endurance, thus potentially reducing the risk of fall as measured by FGA and 2MWT. Application of cerebellar tDCS during SBT walking had no additional effect on locomotor outcomes.
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Hiew S, Nguemeni C, Zeller D. Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in people with multiple sclerosis: a review. Eur J Neurol 2021; 29:648-664. [PMID: 34725881 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease causing a wide range of symptoms including motor and cognitive impairment, fatigue and pain. Over the last two decades, non-invasive brain stimulation, especially transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has increasingly been used to modulate brain function in various physiological and pathological conditions. However, its experimental applications for people with MS were noted only as recently as 2010 and have been growing since then. The efficacy for use in people with MS remains questionable with the results of existing studies being largely conflicting. Hence, the aim of this review is to paint a picture of the current state of tDCS in MS research grounded on studies applying tDCS that have been done to date. METHODS A keyword search was performed to retrieve articles from the earliest article identified until 14 February 2021 using a combination of the groups (1) 'multiple sclerosis', 'MS' and 'encephalomyelitis' and (2) 'tDCS' and 'transcranial direct current stimulation'. RESULTS The analysis of the 30 articles included in this review underlined inconsistent effects of tDCS on the motor symptoms of MS based on small sample sizes. However, tDCS showed promising benefits in ameliorating fatigue, pain and cognitive symptoms. CONCLUSION Transcranial direct current stimulation is attractive as a non-drug approach in ameliorating MS symptoms, where other treatment options remain limited. The development of protocols tailored to the individual's own neuroanatomy using high definition tDCS and the introduction of network mapping in the experimental designs might help to overcome the variability between studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Hiew
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carine Nguemeni
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Zeller
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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