The Effect of Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on fall risk and Walking Speed in women with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory nervous system disease. One of the areas that are affected in MS is the cerebellum. Disorders in cerebellar structure leadss to ataxia, imbalance, increased fall risk and so that can decrease patient’s quality of life. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is the application of weak electrical currents (1-2 mA) to modulate the activity of neurons in the brain. However, The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cerebellar anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on fall risk and Walking Speed in woman with Multiple Sclerosis.

The study samples were 20 women with MS (30 to 40 years).  Patients received sham or real anodal tDCS of cerebellar for 5 consecutive days in a randomized, sham-controlled study. Main Outcome Measures: fall risk index and Time up and Go (TUG) (walking speed), were evaluated. Neuropsychological evaluation were conducted at baseline and immediately after the ctDCS and one month after the completion of the intervention.

Repeated-measures ANOVA was used for the intra-group analyses and inter-group analyses. fall risk index and Time up and Go scores improved in after active anodal tDCS only were improved in intervention group.

 These preliminary data support the notion that anodal tDCS of the cerebellar region combined with balance training improves fall risk index in women with MS. However, Future work has to evaluate potential benefits of cerebellar tDCS on fall risk in People with Multiple Sclerosis.