Parkinson Disease
Conditions
Keywords
Parkinson's disease, Transcranial direct current stimulation, Motor sequence learning
Brief summary
The present study sought to examine the efficacy of single session transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the primary motor cortex in people with Parkinson's disease on sequential motor learning performance.
Detailed description
Parkinson's disease is characterised by deficits of motor control triggered by impaired basal ganglia function, such as bradykinesia and tremor. Beyond the visibly recognisable motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the ability to learn a sequence of movements is also compromised and poses a significant barrier to effective rehabilitation. In healthy individuals, transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the primary motor cortex during motor task practice has been shown to significantly improve motor learning compared to placebo conditions. The present study sought to examine the effect of a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the primary motor cortex in people with Parkinson's disease on sequential motor learning performance. Participants learnt two finger tapping sequences, with task difficulty indexed by sequence length, and task consolidation further examined using a dual-task paradigm. Task related cortical haemodynamic activity was recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
Interventions
DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation
Transcranial electrical stimulation device. A weak direct electrical current, up to 2 mA, is passed between two electrodes placed on the scalp. Electrodes are housed in 35 cm2 sponges saturated with 4 ml of saline solution (0.9 % NaCl) per side, per pad. Stimulation is phased in with a 30 second ramp up period prior to the specified stimulation period and phased-out with a ramp down of the current following the specified stimulation period. For sham stimulation, the ramp-up and ramp-down periods are retained, but stimulation is switched off for during the specified stimulation period.
Sponsors
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Right-handed (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory; ≥50) * Cognitively capable (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); ≥23) * Mild to moderate Parkinson's disease severity (Hoehn and Yar disease stage 2-3)
Exclusion criteria
* History of stroke * Comorbidity * Cephalic implants
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline sequential finger tapping performance | Two assessments: Baseline / pre-intervention, and immediately post-intervention | A skill index reflecting the accuracy and speed of which participants perform a specified finger tapping sequence. |
| Change from baseline oxygenated haemoglobin response | Two assessments: Baseline / pre-intervention, and immediately post-intervention | Task related changes of oxygenated haemoglobin as measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. |
| Change from baseline shape-counting error | Two assessments: Baseline / pre-intervention, and immediately post-intervention | The percentage of shape counting error during dual task assessments. Sequential finger tapping + visual shape counting task. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed