Effect of a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation on center of pressure parameters during the adapted tandem position in people with Parkinson's Disease

• Grant number: 20/12656-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2021
• End date: February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Victor Spiandor Beretta
• Grantee: Beatriz Regina Legutke
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) demonstrate deficits in postural control evidenced by the increased center of pressure (CoP) sway and increased asymmetry between the limbs. These impairments are even more evident during challenging postural tasks, such as the adapted tandem position. Since postural control is not very responsive to pharmacological treatment, non-invasive interventions such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been tested and revealed positive effects on PD. However, previous studies indicated the effects of tDCS on postural control just through clinical assessment. Thus, more objective measures are needed to quantify these effects, such as the analysis of CoP parameters. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of a single session of anodic tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1) on CoP parameters during a challenging postural task (adapted tandem) in people with PD. Nineteen people with PD participated in this study. The present study will use data already collected from an ongoing Ph.D. project. Participants received two conditions of brain stimulation (2 mA and sham) on two different days with an interval of ~ 2 weeks between them. tDCS was applied over M1 for 20 min immediately before the postural control assessment. For the evaluation of postural control, the participants remained in an adapted tandem position on a force plate in 3 trials lasting 30 seconds each. The following CoP parameters will be analyzed in the anteriorposterior and mediolateral directions: mean velocity, root mean square, total displacement (trajectory) and area of sway. For the statistical analysis, the Student t-test (Active x sham) will be performed.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LEGUTKE, BEATRIZ REGINA; GOBBI, LILIAN TERESA BUCKEN; ORCIOLI-SILVA, DIEGO; DOS SANTOS, PAULO CEZAR ROCHA; MORACA, GABRIEL ANTONIO GAZZIERO; VITORIO, RODRIGO; BERETTA, VICTOR SPIANDOR. Transcranial direct current stimulation suggests not improving postural control during adapted tandem position in people with Parkinson's disease: A pilot study. Behavioural Brain Research, v. 452, p. 8-pg., 2023-07-15. (18/07385-9, 20/12656-1)