Brain Sciences

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Dr. Maryam Zoghi

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Discipline of Physiotherapy, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia
Interests: transcranial magnetic stimulation; brain excitability; neuroplasticity; transcranial direct current stimulation; motor control; stroke; multiple sclerosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past several decades, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) gained a renewed interest as a non-invasive brain stimulation method in health and disease. The therapeutic potential of tDCS is appealing to a wide range of patient populations as it provides a non-pharmacological approach with slight to no side effects, is inexpensive, and is easy to use even at home by patients—under supervision—with the potential of producing long after-effects when a suitable protocol is used.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences aims to present a collection of studies detailing the most recent advancements in the application of tDCS in neurological diseases. Authors are invited to submit cutting-edge research and reviews that address a broad range of topics related to the application of tDCS in patients with neurological diseases, including the following: the mechanism of action, how to choose the best tDCS parameters for different patient populations, the recommended dosage, new advances in targeting different areas in the brain, including deep areas in the brain, safety, using an augmentative treatment technique, targeting one area in the brain vs. several areas at the same time, and future perspectives in this field.

Dr. Maryam Zoghi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

transcranial direct current stimulation
cortical excitability
brain stimulation
neurological diseases

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2073 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Multisession Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Prime the Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Fear of Pain, Fear of Movement, and Disability in Patients with Nonspecific Low Back Pain? A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

by Fatemeh Ehsani, Mohaddeseh Sadat Hafez Yousefi, Abbas Jafarzadeh, Maryam Zoghi and Shapour Jaberzadeh

Brain Sci. 2023, 13(10), 1381; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13101381 - 28 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1009

Abstract

Many studies have shown that low back pain (LBP) is associated with psychosomatic symptoms which may lead to brain changes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the concurrent application of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and transcranial direct electrical stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on fear of pain, fear of movement, and disability in patients with nonspecific LBP. This study was performed on 45 LBP patients (23 women, 22 men; mean age 33.00 ± 1.77 years) in three groups: experimental (2 mA cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS)), sham (c-tDCS turned off after 30 s), and control (only received CBT). In all groups, CBT was conducted for 20 min per session, with two sessions per week for four weeks. Fear of pain, fear of movement, and disability were evaluated using questionnaires at baseline, immediately after, and one month after completion of interventions. Results indicated that all three different types of intervention could significantly reduce fear and disability immediately after intervention (p > 0.05). However, improvement in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the other groups immediately after and at the one-month follow-up after interventions (p < 0.05). DLPFC c-tDCS can prime the immediate effects of CBT and also the lasting effects on the reduction in the fear of pain, fear of movement, and disability in LBP patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Based Methods in Neurological Diseases: New Advances and Perspectives)

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12 pages, 1036 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modulation Effects of Repeated Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation at the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex: A Pulsed Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling Study

by Valeria Sacca, Nasim Maleki, Ya Wen, Sierra Hodges and Jian Kong

Brain Sci. 2023, 13(3), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030395 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1443

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive method to modulate brain excitability. The aim of this study was to better understand the cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes during and after repeated tDCS at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in healthy participants using pulsed continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL). Elucidating CBF changes associated with repeated tDCS may shed light on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of tDCS. tDCS was applied for three consecutive days for 20 min at 2 mA, and MRI scans were performed on day 1 and 3. During anodal tDCS, increased CBF was detected in the bilateral thalamus on day 1 and 3 (12% on day 1 and of 14% on day 3) and in the insula on day 1 (12%). After anodal tDCS on day 1, increased CBF was detected in the cerebellum and occipital lobe (11.8%), while both cathodal and sham tDCS were associated with increased CBF in the insula (11% and 10%, respectively). Moreover, anodal tDCS led to increased CBF in the lateral prefrontal cortex and midcingulate cortex in comparison to the sham. These findings suggest that tDCS can modulate the CBF and different tDCS modes may lead to different effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Based Methods in Neurological Diseases: New Advances and Perspectives)

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