scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Occipital Cortex in Medication Overuse Headache: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Mansour ◽  
Rechdi Ahdab ◽  
Georges Khazen ◽  
Christelle El-Khoury ◽  
Toni M. Sabbouh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Medication Overuse ◽  
Medication Overuse Headache ◽  
Pain Syndrome ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Age Range

Background: Medication overuse headache (MOH) is a chronic pain syndrome that arises from the frequent use of acute antimigraine drugs. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with a possible therapeutic effect in this particular context. Methods: This was a randomized, sham-controlled, cross-over study. Eighteen patients with MOH (17 women, age range: 20–38 years) received three sets of three consecutive daily sessions of tDCS: anodal tDCS over the prefrontal cortex, cathodal tDCS over the occipital cortex ipsilateral to the dominant side of migraine pain, and sham. The order in which the tDCS blocks were delivered was randomly defined based on a 1:1:1 ratio. Patients filled in a migraine diary that allowed recording of the pain intensity (visual analogue scale) and the daily consumption of analgesic pills from one week before to two weeks after each condition. Results: Both prefrontal and occipital tDCS lowered the total number of migraine days and the number of severe migraine days per week at week 1, but only the effects of occipital tDCS on these two outcomes lasted until week 2. Only occipital tDCS decreased the daily analgesic pills consumption, at weeks 1 and 2. Conclusion: Three consecutive days of cathodal occipital tDCS appear to improve the clinical outcomes in patients with MOH.

scholarly journals Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Occipital cortex in Episodic Migraine: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Crossover Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rechdi Ahdab ◽  
Anthony G. Mansour ◽  
Georges Khazen ◽  
Christelle El-Khoury ◽  
Toni M. Sabbouh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Episodic Migraine ◽  
Migraine Prophylaxis ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs

Summary: Three consecutive daily sessions of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was sufficient to show a significant decrease in headache duration and intensity as well as tablets consumption, in patients suffering from episodic migraine. Background: Migraine prophylaxis is recommended in patients with frequent and/or intense headaches, but poor tolerability and lack of efficacy of preventive drugs are common in clinical practice. Hence, new prophylactic strategies are needed. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS in terms of migraine prophylaxis. Methods: This was a double blind and sham-controlled trial. Forty-two migraine patients were randomly assigned in a crossover design to receive three consecutive daily sessions of both sham and cathodal tDCS stimulation (2.0 mA, 20 min) over the occipital cortex of the dominant side of the migraine pain (O1/O2). Migraine duration and intensity, number of analgesic tablets, and number of headache-free days (where no headache abortive medications are taken) were recorded one week before and two weeks after treatment. A washout period of one week was allowed before crossing to the other treatment arm. Results: Relative to sham, cathodal stimulation was associated with a significant reduction in the number of headache days, tablets consumption, and pain intensity; and a significant increase in the number of headache-free days. These beneficial effects were sustained over two weeks. No serious side effects were observed, and the procedure was well tolerated. Conclusion: Based on these findings, cathodal tDCS applied to the occipital cortex seems to be an effective and well tolerated alternative to pharmacotherapy in patients with episodic migraine.

scholarly journals Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3314-3319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim Axelrod ◽  
Geraint Rees ◽  
Michal Lavidor ◽  
Moshe Bar
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Frontal Lobes ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Cognitive Behaviors ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Humans mind-wander quite intensely. Mind wandering is markedly different from other cognitive behaviors because it is spontaneous, self-generated, and inwardly directed (inner thoughts). However, can such an internal and intimate mental function also be modulated externally by means of brain stimulation? Addressing this question could also help identify the neural correlates of mind wandering in a causal manner, in contrast to the correlational methods used previously (primarily functional MRI). In our study, participants performed a monotonous task while we periodically sampled their thoughts to assess mind wandering. Concurrently, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We found that stimulation of the frontal lobes [anode electrode at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cathode electrode at the right supraorbital area], but not of the occipital cortex or sham stimulation, increased the propensity to mind-wander. These results demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that mind wandering can be enhanced externally using brain stimulation, and that the frontal lobes play a causal role in mind-wandering behavior. These results also suggest that the executive control network associated with the DLPFC might be an integral part of mind-wandering neural machinery.

scholarly journals Transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tCDS) after subacromial injections in patients with subacromial pain syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Larrivée ◽  
Frédéric Balg ◽  
Guillaume Léonard ◽  
Sonia Bédard ◽  
Michel Tousignant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Symptomatic Relief ◽  
Pain Syndrome ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Subacromial Pain Syndrome

Abstract Background Subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS) is a common complaint in orthopaedics. Subacromial corticosteroid injections (CSI) can relieve pain in the short term. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) has been used for symptomatic pain relief in a variety of chronic pain conditions. The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether the application a-tDCS could enhance the symptomatic relief provided by CSI in patients affected by SAPS. Methods Thirty-eight participants (18 to 65-year-old) suffering from SAPS were recruited to have a CSI and randomly allocated to receive, 1 weeks post CSI, real a-tDCS (r-tDCS), sham tDCS (s-tDCS) or no intervention (Control). Upper limb function was measured 1 week prior to the CSI, at the 2- and 4-week follow-ups using self-administered questionnaires and physical measures. Self-reported pain and activity during each day were logged by the participants using visual analog scales (VAS). Differences between groups were tested using repeated-measures ANOVAs. Results Pain VAS and the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation scale (SANE) showed significant improvement from baseline 2 weeks and 4 weeks after CSI in all groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant group X time interaction 2 weeks following tDCS treatment in any of the variables. Conclusion All groups showed significant improvement in pain VAS and SANE scores following the CSI. One session of a-tDCS treatment 2 weeks following CSI did not result in any additive or potentializing effects when compared to a s-tDCS or a control group. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03967574. Registered 30 May 2019 - Retrospectively registered.

scholarly journals Augmenting ideational fluency in a creativity task across multiple transcranial direct current stimulation montages

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia G. Chrysikou ◽  
Hannah M. Morrow ◽  
Austin Flohrschutz ◽  
Lauryn Denney
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Bilateral Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

AbstractNeuroimaging and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) research has revealed that generating novel ideas is associated with both reductions and increases in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity, and engagement of posterior occipital cortex, among other regions. However, there is substantial variability in the robustness of these tDCS‐induced effects due to heterogeneous sample sizes, different creativity measures, and methodological diversity in the application of tDCS across laboratories. To address these shortcomings, we used twelve different montages within a standardized tDCS protocol to investigate how altering activity in frontotemporal and occipital cortex impacts creative thinking. Across four experiments, 246 participants generated either the common or an uncommon use for 60 object pictures while undergoing tDCS. Participants also completed a control short-term memory task. We applied active tDCS for 20 min at 1.5 mA through two 5 cm × 5 cm electrodes over left or right ventrolateral prefrontal (areas F7, F8) or occipital (areas O1, O2) cortex, concurrent bilateral stimulation of these regions across polarities, or sham stimulation. Cathodal stimulation of the left, but not right, ventrolateral PFC improved fluency in creative idea generation, but had no effects on originality, as approximated by measures of semantic distance. No effects were obtained for the control tasks. Concurrent bilateral stimulation of the ventrolateral PFC regardless of polarity direction, and excitatory stimulation of occipital cortex did not alter task performance. Highlighting the importance of cross-experimental methodological consistency, these results extend our past findings and contribute to our understanding of the role of left PFC in creative thinking.

scholarly journals Chronic Migraine Preventive Treatment by Prefrontal–Occipital Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Proof-of-Concept Study on the Effect of Psychiatric Comorbidities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulio Mastria ◽  
Alessandro Viganò ◽  
Alessandra Corrado ◽  
Valentina Mancini ◽  
Cristina Pirillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Migraine ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Medication Overuse Headache ◽  
Preventive Treatment ◽  
Poor Response ◽  
Psychiatric Comorbidities ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Before And After

Chronic migraine (CM) is often complicated by medication overuse headache (MOH) and psychiatric comorbidities that may influence the clinical outcome. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychiatric comorbidities and the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with CM with or without MOH. We recruited 16 consecutive CM patients who had an unsatisfactory response to at least three pharmacological preventive therapies. They were treated with anodal right-prefrontal and cathodal occipital tDCS (intensity: 2 mA, time: 20 min) three times per week for 4 weeks. All patients underwent a psychopathological assessment before and after treatment, and five of them were diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD). After treatment, all the patients showed a significant decrease of severe and overall headache days per month. Despite having a higher migraine burden at baseline, patients with CM and BD showed a significantly greater reduction of severe headaches and psychiatric symptoms. Overall, tDCS seems to be effective in the treatment of CM patients with a poor response to different classes of pharmacological therapies, whereas BD status positively influences the response of migraineurs to tDCS.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document