Multiple sclerosis fatigue relief by bilateral somatosensory cortex neuromodulation. Issue 3 (March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tecchio, F.; Cancelli, A.; Cottone, C.; Zito, G.; Pasqualetti, P.; Ghazaryan, A.; Rossini, P.M.; Filippi, M.M.
• Is Part Of: Clinical neurophysiology. Volume 127:Issue 3(2016:Mar.)
• Page Start: e24
• Page End: e25
• Publication Date: 2016-03
• Subjects: Neurophysiology -- Periodicals; Electroencephalography -- Periodicals; Electromyography -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.11.070
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1388-2457

Abstract

Abstract : Multiple sclerosis-related fatigue is highly common and often refractory to medical therapy. Ten fatigued multiple sclerosis patients received two blocks of 5-day anodal bilateral primary somatosensory areas transcranial direct current stimulation in a randomized, doubleblind sham-controlled, cross-over study. The real neuromodulation by a personalized electrode, shaped on the MRderived primary somatosensory cortical strip, reduced fatigue in all patients, by 26% in average ( p = 0.002), which did not change after sham ( p = 0.901). Anodal tDCS over bilateral somatosensory areas was able to relief fatigue in mildly disabled MS patients, when the fatigue related symptoms severely hamper their quality of life. These small-scale study results support the concept that interventions modifying the sensorimotor network activity balances could be a suitable non-pharmacological treatment for multiple sclerosis fatigue.