Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of active tDCS on motor function in patients with PD.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic interneuron, and still pharmacological challenging. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as Trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in which a direct current is applied via surface electrodes on the head for a certain time most suggested to be for 13 min with 2 mA with a safe and easy application.

Method: A computer literature search of PubMed was conducted through August 2017. Records were screened for eligible randomized controlled trials comparing the safety and efficacy of tDCS with sham intervention. Effect estimates of the UPDRS-III, timed up and go, and stride length were pooled as the mean difference between the two groups from the baseline (off stimulation) to the endpoint (on-stimulation) in the meta-analysis model using RevMan version 5.3 for windows.

Results: Five RCTs (with a total of 169 patients) were included in the final analysis. TDCS was not effective in terms of improving UPDRS-III subscale (MD 8.80, 95% CI [-0.63 to 21.24], p= 0.17), stride length (SMD 0.21, 95% CI [-0.49 to 0.91], p= 0.56), or the timed up and go (MD -1.22, 95% CI [-4.22 to 1.77], p= 0.42). None of the adverse events were significantly common in the tCDS group than the sham group (Risk Difference 0.04, 95% CI [-0.06 to 0.15], p= 0.40). Pooled data were not heterogeneous.

Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that tDCS does not improve the motor functions of PD patients. However, larger studies with longer follow-up periods are still needed.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/does-transcranial-direct-current-simulation-improve-motor-functions-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/