Objective: To examine whether a 5 day treatment period of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over the cerebellum would improve patients’ symptoms and alter their neurophysiology.

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most pervasive form of dystonia and is characterized by painful, involuntary twisting of the neck, and sometimes tremor. Unfortunately, treatment options for CD are limited. There is emerging evidence implicating cerebellar dysfunction in the pathophysiology of CD. A-tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can up-regulate cortical excitability. 

Methods: Patients received 5 sessions of a-tDCS and sham tDCS in a randomised, cross-over design that was double-blinded. Clinical features were examined using the TWSTRS2, CDQ-24, cervical range of motion, and visual analogue scales of pain. Neurophysiological assessments were performed using eye-blink conditioning to examine cerebellar excitability and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex to examine corticomotor excitability and intracortical inhibition. Motor evoked potentials (MEP) and cortical silent periods (cSP) were recorded from the left and right upper trapezius (UT) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI). All dependent measures were assessed on the first and last day of treatment, and follow up questionnaires were completed at 1 and 4 weeks post treatment. There was a minimum washout period of 5 weeks between real and sham treatment blocks, and patients undergoing botox were tested 4 weeks post injections. 

Results: The study is at the late stages of data collection therefore treatment type is currently concealed. Repeated measures ANOVAs will compare pre/post differences between real and sham. Post hoc paired t-tests and corrections for multiple comparisons will be performed if necessary. 

Conclusions: The outcome of this research may lead to the development of an effective and noninvasive intervention for the management of cervical dystonia and improve understanding of the dysfunctional neurophysiology.

« Back to 2017 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/noninvasive-cerebellar-stimulation-for-adults-with-cervical-dystonia/