Objective: To investigate the impact of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on freezing of gait (FOG) among individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: FOG remains a perplexing phenomenon in PD, with its neurophysiological underpinnings still largely elusive, and effective interventions are lacking. In this study, we explore the potential of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeted at the leg representation area (Cz) of the primary motor cortex (M1) to ameliorate FOG and enhance gait performance in individuals with PD experiencing FOG.

Method: This investigation adopts a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design. Nineteen PD patients with FOG were subjected to anodal tDCS, while 22 others received sham tDCS over 5 consecutive days. Clinical and gait evaluations were conducted pre-randomization, immediately post-tDCS stimulation, and at 2 days, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks following the conclusion of the tDCS sessions.

Results: Significant disparities emerged between the effects of anodal and sham stimulation across multiple parameters, including the coefficient of variation of velocity (p = 0.025), step length (p = 0.003), swing time (p =0.019), and single support time (p = 0.013). Although no discrepancy in disease severity was observed between the anodal and sham groups, notable enhancements in step length (p = 0.021), gait cycle (p = 0.007), and cadence (p = 0.025) were evident post-intervention. Of the 41 PD patients with FOG, 16 expressed interest in pursuing long-term stimulation following the completeness of the study.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that anodal tDCS may hold promise in improving gait performance among PD patients experiencing FOG.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/transcranial-direct-current-stimulation-for-freezing-of-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/