Objective: To explore the impact of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolomic profile of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique that has been extensively studied as a potential alternative treatment for PD. However, its precise mechanisms in PD remain unclear. Few studies have explored the biological changes induced by tDCS in patients with PD. Moreover, research on its impact on the CSF metabolomic profile is scarce, largely due to the challenges associated with sample collection.
Method: Fourteen patients with PD were prospectively enrolled and underwent five sessions of anodal tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1) in the dominant hemisphere. CSF samples were collected from each participant before and after the tDCS sessions. Untargeted metabolite profiling was conducted using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Changes in the CSF metabolomic profile following tDCS were analyzed.
Results: Clinical scales including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III), Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) scores were significantly improved after anodal tDCS (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01). In the metabolomic analysis of CSF extracts, we identified a total of 389 metabolites by matching with reference spectral library. Among them, 45 metabolites were selected as key compounds which significantly changed after the tDCS treatment. In particular, metabolites relevant to the purine, phenylalanine, tyrosine pathways, fatty acid biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism showed significant change after tDCS treatment.
Conclusion: We observed that the influence of anodal tDCS on CSF metabolites in patients with PD on various metabolic pathways, which are relevant to the pathogenesis of PD. Further interpretation of these findings would enable us to understand the mode of action of tDCS treatment in PD patient, and broaden our insights into developing therapies.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
KW. Park, WY. Jang, KS. Jang, MR. Choi. The Impact of Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Metabolomic Profiles of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-anodal-transcranial-direct-current-stimulation-on-the-metabolomic-profiles-of-cerebrospinal-fluid-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-anodal-transcranial-direct-current-stimulation-on-the-metabolomic-profiles-of-cerebrospinal-fluid-in-parkinsons-disease/