Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study
IntroductionCerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a chronic systemic degenerative disease affecting small blood vessels in the brain, leading to cognitive impairments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that applies low electrical currents to...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1511287/full |
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| author | Qiaoqiao Xu Qiaoqiao Xu Wenwen Yin Xia Zhou Shuo Wang Sishi Chen Jiajia Yang Chunhua Xi Zhongwu Sun |
| author_facet | Qiaoqiao Xu Qiaoqiao Xu Wenwen Yin Xia Zhou Shuo Wang Sishi Chen Jiajia Yang Chunhua Xi Zhongwu Sun |
| author_sort | Qiaoqiao Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionCerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a chronic systemic degenerative disease affecting small blood vessels in the brain, leading to cognitive impairments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that applies low electrical currents to the scalp, shows promise in treating cognitive and movement disorders. However, further clinical evaluation is required to assess the long-term effects of tDCS on neuroplasticity and gait in patients with CSVD. We investigated the effects of long-term, repeated tDCS on local brain perfusion, network connectivity, cognition, and gait in patients with CSVD and gait disorders (CSVD-GD).MethodsThis prospective, single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled study enrolled 66 patients with CSVD-GD, categorized into the tDCS and Sham groups. Imaging and gait characteristic data were collected over three periods using magnetic resonance imaging and a gait analyzer, along with neuropsychological assessments.ResultsAmong 156 volunteers with CSVD-GD, 66 participated in this study, with 60 completing the entire process. Compared to the Sham group, the tDCS group exhibited a more pronounced increase in the cerebral blood flow to the dural cerebrospinal fluid ratio in regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus (P < 0.05, FDR corrected), along with significantly greater improvements in gait speed and stride length. Tolerance to tDCS was good, with no difference in adverse reactions between the groups, except for a scalp burning sensation reported during the 1st week (24.24% and 6.06% in the tDCS and Sham groups, respectively; P = 0.003).DiscussionLong-term tDCS is effective and safe for improving neuroplasticity and gait cognition in patients with CSVD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a517626881ad40cfa7083ded01e2cf9f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-a517626881ad40cfa7083ded01e2cf9f2025-08-20T02:26:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652025-01-011610.3389/fnagi.2024.15112871511287Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled studyQiaoqiao Xu0Qiaoqiao Xu1Wenwen Yin2Xia Zhou3Shuo Wang4Sishi Chen5Jiajia Yang6Chunhua Xi7Zhongwu Sun8Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei City First People's Hospital), Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei City First People's Hospital), Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei City First People's Hospital), Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Burns and Wound Healing, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei City First People's Hospital), Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaIntroductionCerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a chronic systemic degenerative disease affecting small blood vessels in the brain, leading to cognitive impairments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that applies low electrical currents to the scalp, shows promise in treating cognitive and movement disorders. However, further clinical evaluation is required to assess the long-term effects of tDCS on neuroplasticity and gait in patients with CSVD. We investigated the effects of long-term, repeated tDCS on local brain perfusion, network connectivity, cognition, and gait in patients with CSVD and gait disorders (CSVD-GD).MethodsThis prospective, single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled study enrolled 66 patients with CSVD-GD, categorized into the tDCS and Sham groups. Imaging and gait characteristic data were collected over three periods using magnetic resonance imaging and a gait analyzer, along with neuropsychological assessments.ResultsAmong 156 volunteers with CSVD-GD, 66 participated in this study, with 60 completing the entire process. Compared to the Sham group, the tDCS group exhibited a more pronounced increase in the cerebral blood flow to the dural cerebrospinal fluid ratio in regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus (P < 0.05, FDR corrected), along with significantly greater improvements in gait speed and stride length. Tolerance to tDCS was good, with no difference in adverse reactions between the groups, except for a scalp burning sensation reported during the 1st week (24.24% and 6.06% in the tDCS and Sham groups, respectively; P = 0.003).DiscussionLong-term tDCS is effective and safe for improving neuroplasticity and gait cognition in patients with CSVD.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1511287/fullcerebral small vessel diseasegait disorderstranscranial direct current stimulationwalking difficultiescognitive impairmentgait analysis |
| spellingShingle | Qiaoqiao Xu Qiaoqiao Xu Wenwen Yin Xia Zhou Shuo Wang Sishi Chen Jiajia Yang Chunhua Xi Zhongwu Sun Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience cerebral small vessel disease gait disorders transcranial direct current stimulation walking difficulties cognitive impairment gait analysis |
| title | Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study |
| title_full | Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study |
| title_fullStr | Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study |
| title_short | Transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease: a randomized controlled study |
| title_sort | transcranial direct current stimulation for patients with walking difficulties caused by cerebral small vessel disease a randomized controlled study |
| topic | cerebral small vessel disease gait disorders transcranial direct current stimulation walking difficulties cognitive impairment gait analysis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1511287/full |
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