Transcranial direct current stimulation plus concurrent activity may influence task prioritization during walking in people with Parkinson’s disease – initial findings

Date

2018-05

Authors

Swank, Chad
Criminger, Christina
Almutairi, Sattam
Mehta, Jyutika

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Dove Press

Abstract

Introduction: Walking for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) degrades during motor–cognitive interplay (ie, dual-task conditions). Current management of PD improves motor symptoms but inadequately addresses cognitive function, indicating a necessity for novel interventions. In this pilot study, we examined bi-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with concurrent activity and dual-task walking in people with PD.

Methods: Participants received 3 sessions (tDCSsitting, tDCSbike, tDCSWii) of bilateral tDCS (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; left = anode, right = cathode) at 2 mA and 1 sham session (tDCSsham). Sessions were randomized, single-blinded, and performed during medication “ON” times separated by 7±2 days. Following each session, participants performed Timed Up and Go (TUG) single, dual-task conditions (TUGalone, TUGmotor, TUGcognitive).

Results: Sixteen participants with PD completed this study (mean age=68.13±9.76 years, ­Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale mean=40.31±18.27, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status mean=84.13 [13th percentile]). No differences were observed for TUG conditions between tDCS sessions. Dual task cost for TUGmotor, 14.73% (tDCSSitting), 17.78% (tDCSBike), 15.97% (tDCSWii)), 19.02% (tDCSSham); for TUGcognitive (walking), 20.01% (tDCSSitting), 18.7% (tDCSBike), 31.18% (tDCSWii), 20.01% (tDCSSham); for TUGcognitive (cognitive), 33.72% (tDCSSitting), 14.99% (tDCSBike), 4.42% (tDCSWii), 19.11% (tDCSsham).

Conclusion: Our bi-hemisphere tDCS paired with concurrent activities did not lessen dual-task cost in participants with PD but appeared to influence task prioritization. Further investigation with a larger sample size is warranted.

Description

Texas Woman's University Libraries Open Access Fund

Keywords

Dual task interference, Gait, Executive function, Non-invasive brain stimulation, Novel task, Motor-cognitive interplay

Citation

This is the publisher’s version of an article that is available at https://doi.org/10.2147/jprls.s161740. Recommended citation: Criminger, C., Swank, C., Almutairi, S., & Mehta, J. (2018). Transcranial direct current stimulation plus concurrent activity may influence task prioritization during walking in people with Parkinson's disease–initial findings. Journal of Parkinsonism and Restless Legs Syndrome, Volume 8, 25–32. This item has been deposited in accordance with publisher copyright and licensing terms and with the author’s permission.