Bilateral anodal transcranial direct current stimulation effect on balance and fearing of fall in patient with Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have examined the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using unilateral anodal stimulation applied either on the left or right brain hemisphere. However, PD involves the dysfunctions of both brain hemispheres. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the therapeutic effects of bilateral anodal tDCS stimulation on balance and fear of fall outcomes in patient with PD. METHODS: Eighteen patients with idiopathic PD completed the study. Ten sessions of bilateral anodal tDCS stimulation were applied over the FC1 and FC2 targeting both pre-frontal and motor areas for each patient, 5 sessions per week for 2 weeks. Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and 10 meters walk test (10mwt) were applied before and after the stimulation therapy. RESULTS: Paired t-test showed a significant increase in the BBS scores and decrease in the FES-I scores after the bilateral tDCS compared with those scores before tDCS therapy (P < 0.05), as well improvement in the 10mwt scores. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that bilateral anodal tDCS serves as an effective, safe and feasible approach for rehabilitation of patients with PD with the issues related to balance and fear of fall.