tDCS Poster OnlyThe effect of daily sessions of anodal tDCS on chronic pain
Section snippets
Background and Objective:
Consecutive sessions of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over primary motor cortex (M1) have been reported to produce long term pain reduction (1-3 weeks) in some types of chronic pain. The present study aimed to clarify the length of pain relief induced by five days anodal or sham tDCS, and to depict its potential side-effects during and after stimulation in patients with pharmaco-resistant chronic pain.
Patients and Methods:
22 patients with therapy resistant chronic pain syndromes (trigeminal neuralgia, post-stroke pain syndrome, back pain, fibromyalgia) participated in the study. They received 20 minutes anodal and sham tDCS over the hand area of M1 (2 mA) every day for five consecutive days using a cross-over, double-blind design. Pain was assessed by the patients every day three times using a visual analogue scale (VAS) for 1 month before, during, and after the last session. The side effects of the stimulation
Results:
No significant differences were found in basal pain ratings between real- and sham- tDCS. However, a two factor repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant decrease in pain during and after stimulation (for about two weeks) in the anodal tDCS group. The most common side effect was headache and tiredness after stimulation. However, there was no difference between the verum and sham group. No patient experienced any serious adverse effects.
Conclusion:
These results confirm that five daily sessions of tDCS over the hand area of the M1can produce relatively long-lasting pain relief in patients with pharmaco-resistant chronic pain, without serious side-effects.