Transcranial direct current stimulation in the treatment of cerebellar ataxia: A two-phase, double-blind, auto-matched, pilot study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of tDCS on posture, gait and coordination of movements in subjects with cerebellar ataxia.

Patients and methods: This is a two-phase, double blind, auto matched, pilot study. Seven people were selected to participate in the study aged from 14 to 57. tDCS and sham-tDCS were applied at different times to all participants for 40 min over five consecutive days so that they were blind to which of the two techniques was applied at any one time. The area stimulated was the bilateral motor cortex. Subjects were evaluated before and after the interventions using the Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and specific tests to measure posture and balance were carried out using the Wii Fit platform and CvMob software.

Results: The study indicates a statistically significant improvement in respect of gait parameters and the total score of the SARA scale and Wii Fit platform after tDCS when compared with data obtained from sham-tDCS trials (p: 0,03). The adverse events relating to tDCS were all self-limiting and from mild to moderate intensity.

Conclusion: Despite the small sample size, tDCS showed positive results in some motor parameters and could be considered a valuable new option for the treatment of cerebellar ataxias.

Keywords: Cerebellar ataxia; Cerebellum; Clinical trial; Neuromodulation; Noninvasive brain stimulation; SARA; Transcranial direct current stimulation; tDCS.