Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with physical or cognitive training in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Pharmacologic therapy is the primary treatment used to manage Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms. However, it becomes less effective with time and some symptoms do not respond to medication. Complementary interventions are therefore required for PD. Recent studies have implemented transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with other modalities of interventions, such as physical and cognitive training. Although the combination of tDCS with physical and cognitive training seems promising, the existing studies present mixed results. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature is necessary.

AIMS

This systematic review aims to (i) assess the clinical effects of tDCS when applied in combination with physical or cognitive therapies in people with PD and; (ii) analyze how specific details of the intervention protocols may relate to findings.

METHODS

The search strategy detailed the technique of stimulation, population and combined interventions (i.e. cognitive and/or physical training). Only controlled studies were included.

RESULTS

Seventeen of an initial yield of 408 studies satisfied the criteria. Studies involved small sample sizes. tDCS protocols and characteristics of combined interventions varied. The reviewed studies suggest that synergistic effects may be obtained for cognition, upper limb function, gait/mobility and posture when tDCS is combined with cognitive and/or motor interventions in PD.

CONCLUSION

The reported results encourage further research to better understand the therapeutic utility of tDCS and to inform optimal clinical use in PD. Future studies in this field should focus on determining optimal stimulation parameters and intervention characteristics for maximal benefits in people with PD.

Magnesium ion serum profile in chronic migraine: comparative study between treated and non-treated patients

Chronic migraine is recognized as a migraine complication and is characterized by frequency of attacks up to 15 days/ month for more than three months, in absence of painkiller abusive usage. Studies indicate that magnesium ion plays a role in migraine pathophysiology but, until now, they have never included only patients with chronic migraine as their population. Objective: To compare serum magnesium levels etween treated and non-treated chronic migraineurs. Methods: Twenty-two patients with chronic migraine were selected and divided in two groups (treated and non-treated), matched by sex and age, and submitted to serum dosage of magnesium ion for latter comparison. Result: The non-treated chronic migraineurs presented serum magnesium ion level within normal limits, but lower than those found in the treated group with a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Similarly to other studies in the literature, this study stresses the importance of magnesium ion in the migraine pathophysiology, but studying only the chronic migraine patients.